Curtis Andersen Super Blog!

Mobile Blog: Connecticut & "Libby"

2012-01-20T17:20:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of Jenna Leigh Green & me. We shot a commercial together today and it is the first time she & I have seen each other for an extended period of time since our days together on "Sabrina the Teenage Witch."

We had a lot of fun today. In addition to the normal duties that go along with shooting a commercial, we had a chance to catch up and just kinda' hang out & she has nearly convinced Rene & I that we need to move to New York.

This is the first commercial I've done in a LONG time & I have to admit that I have REALLY missed being on the talent side of a production. In comparison to what a producer has to do today was a dream!

As I write this I'm sitting in a hotel restaurant waiting for my blue cheese bacon burger with onion rings & garlic ranch horse radish. I'm really looking forward to it, especially since I need to hit the hay soon for a 4am wake-up call to make it back to IC Talent before 1pm.

Watch my tweets here to see how I do: http//:twitter.com/CurtisAndersen

Shout out to Joel Michaely for helping to set this up - I owe you dinner, man!

See you tomorrow!

SOPA & PIPA - Just Say No

2012-01-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

The proposed bills in Congress known as SOPA and PIPA are a big deal and so are the issues they claim to deal with.

Piracy is a big deal, Wiggy VonSchtick has been a victim, but the internet isn't going anywhere and people's abilities to acquire whatever they want whenever they want is only going to get easier even if these bills pass.

Nanny laws only hurt people who follow the law, criminals just find a way around them.

These are complex problems that require big ideas, not censorship.

New, young entertainment business minds are already thinking of ways to curtail piracy and it's working. Look at Louis C.K. He managed to shoot and release a downloadable comedy show and made profits that he couldn't imagine.

Make no mistake, this is about money and how large studios make it - not about the viewer or the art of entertainment and all of that is fine! It's required to make the big kinds of movies that people love to go see, but these pieces of legislation are not the ways to make entertainment profitable in the future. I know that the big studios are using scare tactics to try and force creatives to their side, but these bills shoot a creative's future in the foot.

Please follow these links:

SOPA Explained

End Piracy, Not Liberty

More Ray?!? No WAY!

2012-01-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

The new Story time with Ray is up! And to keep with the family friendly theme that he's been on this week's discussion is all about toilet paper and pooping.

See you tomorrow!

PARTY FROG!

2012-01-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

I think this is an important message about how social norms are effected by groups, mob mentality and how easily they can be coerced through blind consumerism and socially acceptable hedonism.

Totally kidding, these animals are funny!

See you tomorrow!

This Post Powered by Pale Ale

2012-01-09T23:01:00.000-08:00

Normally I don't like to post when I drink unless I've had an awful lot to drink or I have really enjoyed what it is that I have drunk.

Tonight is the latter.

I stopped by Nieuport 17 tonight to visit the lovely wife Rene and I had Tustin Brewery's American Pale Ale.

It was really good!

It was nutty and golden and delicious and ended up being a really nice finish for the day.

After that I went home and felt like it was time to try another beer since we have a new selection in the fridge thanks to one of Rene's relatives: Blue Moon Pale Moon Belgian Style Pale Ale. It has more of a citrus hit than the APA, but drinks very well and tickles the tongue with light flavor.

Overall a very enjoyable beer night. I recommend both of these if you have a chance to try them.

See you tomorrow!

Frankie is The Flash

2012-01-08T21:33:00.000-08:00

Frankie loves getting his walks and loves playing with his toys.

Sometimes when he's particularly hyper he does a little move that Rene and I have dubbed the "Turbo-Scoot" where his back legs tuck under his body and act like a spring for his body and his front paws only make contact with the ground long enough to help him steer a bit. It makes him move REALLY FAST!

It's like Frankie is part kangaroo.

A really fast kangaroo.

Rene and I have been trying to capture this phenomenon on camera for years, but we have yet to manage it. Tonight I wish I had a camera just running all the time because I have never seen Frankie Turbo-Scoot so fast! The cat even seemed impressed with his speed.

Now he's exhausted and passed out on his bed.

Maybe I should put a camera on a motion sensor...?

See you tomorrow.

There may be something wrong with me because I enjoy watching Jersey Shore

2012-01-05T23:27:00.000-08:00

I don't even know what to write past that. Jersey Shore is on & I can't take my eyes off of it.

The 1-2 punch of Toddlers & Tiaras and Jersey Shore makes me a bad person probably.

'Cuz It's The Beginning Of The Year....

2012-01-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

The nice thing about it being the beginning of the year is that I'm really motivated to be on top of things and make sure that all the schedules happen on time.

I think you'll notice that from the pattern visible in this blog: I always start off the year strong with posts and then, pffffff, it putters out.

In keeping with this pattern we are also keeping up with the wiggyWebs schedule - although that's mostly due to some changes that we're making to the number of videos we'll be posting a week...

...but I'll tell you about that when I have a video to post (probably Friday).

In the meantime here's a new Story time with Ray:

See you tomorrow!

WordPress: Yes or No?

2012-01-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

OK, this is going to seem like a weird thing to post on my Blogger blog, but I'm considering moving over to WordPress for this, my primary website/blog, and for the Wiggy website/blog. I have a few friends who are getting a great deal of value out of it and, even though the set-up process seems daunting (I was distracted when I was signing up and was caught off guard by how many pay options there are - I just want the free stuff, right?) I do think that it will allow me to expand and post content while still allowing me the flexibility of a regular website...

...but that's why I'm reaching out to you!

I want to hear from WordPress users out there who can toss me some tips and tricks! I really haven't had time to check out all the themes, options or even really set-up my profile and that's a big part of my problem - lack of time! I will find the time to to do the set-up, but I want to know what mistakes to avoid so that it takes as little time as possible.

Do I need to know HTML?

Please tell me your stories in the comments!

See you tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T22:44:00.001-08:00

Hey everybody!

I'm back!

I didn't actually go anywhere, but I haven't been posting here and so now I'm saying I'm back, but really if you have been checking out my Twitter feed or my Facebook Page you've still seen me - or at least heard from me electronically. In a social media kinda' way.

This, the first blog of 2012, is coming out dangerously close to January 3rd. In fact you're probably just now seeing it on January 3rd.

Anyhow, to help celebrate the new year I have the first 2012 State of Stuff for Wiggy VonSchtick Productions right here:

Now I have to go off and drink the little bit of The Stocks red wine that we have left and write some more for the new web series we'll be shooting this year.

See you tomorrow!

Videos!

2011-12-08T16:36:00.001-08:00

This is something cool and Japanese:

This is a political pundit demanding action and results:

See you tomorrow!

Late November Update - Released in December - About Toddlers & Tiaras - And Stuff

2011-12-08T01:03:00.000-08:00

I was going to do an update, be boring and awful mostly because the last few times I've sat down to write I've just been completely empty. I've had nothing. All my juice has been used working - and that's a VERY good thing! Things are really kickin' and I dig it.

And not just for me, but all the people around me too! Sometimes I think the good stuff gets lost in the shuffle, but it's all there, the signs of cool shit popping up everywhere and I think that this can all be illustrated by the new season of "Toddlers & Tiaras."

You heard me, "Toddlers & Tiaras."

Say what you will about the show, the parents on the show, whatever damage you believe the children will have but this is some serious quality television.

And by television I mean high end performance art where the artist is an editor and director and the subject is a focus of glamour that society strives to achieve against any kind of reason.

You might think I'm kidding or trying to be ironic or funny - but I'm dead serious. This show is a microcosm of a society that allows Kardashians to be celebrities and TMZ to be a syndicated hit.

Programmers and studio executives always want to know what's going to "sell" or "work" in middle America and the cynical of us kind of always knew that, when dealing in lowest common denominators, this is it. Keep it young, dress it up and cover it in so much paint it's unrecognizable and you have something that people are ready to watch.

As content creators I truly believe that most want to do the work that challenges an audience and is smart and effects people emotionally...

...but when you need a paycheck suddenly principle and creativity take a backseat to what you can sell and then the self-fulfilling prophesy takes hold and suddenly you are making the very content that just last week you were railing against in your blog.

That last line sounded really biographical but it wasn't. I was trying to make a point. I'm in a much more satisfying place creatively... which is probably why I'm broke.

All that aside I am looking forward to the rest of this T&T season.

Should we live tweet the next episode?

See you tomorrow!

I thought this was funny.

2011-11-09T15:11:00.000-08:00

How many time have you looked and felt like this?

See you tomorrow!

What's kept me busy.

2011-11-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

I said in the last post that I would mention in a separate post what I've been doing that has taken up all my time.

This is that post.

First off, "Earthlings Beware!" is a play that Rene and I are doing together at The Costa Mesa Playhouse. It plays Fridays through Sundays until November 20th. It is family friendly, funny and fun! It's a send-up of 50's Sci-Fi movies and does a great job of recreating that kitchy magic on a single stage. Rene and I made a video:

In video news Wiggy Webs has been posting regularly! Here are the videos you may have missed:

Also, movie stuff has been going forward at a hurried pace. Cheerleaders is casting and we are setting up meetings with talent. There's also a pretty significant change coming to the film that I can't technically announce yet, but I'll give you a hint - there's a reason we've only been referring to it by nicknames and as "Cheerleaders" for a while. There's a new website on it's way and some other new stuff. In the meantime go "Like" us on Facebook.

The documentary is wrapping up and with the workload growing on that it is very possible that there may be another drought of posts for a while - but I'm trying to manage that.

This may all seem like shameless self-promotion, and it kind of is, but this is truly all that I have been doing for the last few weeks.

Oh, and the cat needed surgery. Hurt his foot. Got worked on. He wears a cone now. The nightmare and hilarity that has been our cat in his cone of shame is documented better on Rene's Twitter Feed

OK, I think that it.

See you tomorrow!

Mobile Blog: Beard Dye - Before/After

2011-10-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

So, I know my blogging has been less than regular. It's enough to chase away an audience for sure, but the reasons why I haven't been blogging are good...

...and will be covered in another blog.

For today I am just focusing on the play that Rene & I are doing, Earthlings Beware, and the VanDyke that I grew for the part.

As I've mentioned in other blogs, my facial hair grows like that of a 4 year old's. It's taken weeks to get something that passes as real, adult facial hair. It's kinda' impressive for me, actually, but there is a minor problem - it is completely blond.

Now, my hair shifts between blond & red & when it chooses to be one or the other it REALLY chooses to be that color. Right now the beard has chosen blond which does not show up on stage as you can see in the before picture.

So I'm dying it!

You can see the finished product here, and see it on the face of Mr. Bissel, the science teacher of Mercury Mesa starting this weekend at The Costa Mesa Playhouse Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm & Sundays at 2am. Tickets are available here: http://www.costamesaplayhouse.org

Also, if you act fast, you can get two FREE TICKETS to the opening Gala Event this Saturday! Visit the fan page for details: http://www.Facebook.com/CurtisAndersenFanPage

See you tomorrow!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean - The Avengers vs. The JLA

2011-10-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

OK comics fans, it's the battle royal! The subject of decades of debate! The reason for multiple super team ciphers at both DC and Marvel! The basis for at least one good mini-series!

THE AVENGERS VS. THE JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA!

We spent 3 minutes on it...

Comments on this are especially welcome because I KNOW we didn't cover it all.

See you tomorrow!

The Last Alphabet Edition of Story Time with Ray!

2011-10-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

After months of commentary on Dr. Seuss and his book about the alphabet we have reached the end - Y & Z has been released today and here it is:

I think you can tell that Ray is tired of doing the alphabet. It looks like viewers were too since we've seen a bit of a decline in views in the latter half of the alphabet. I can say that we have shot a series of new rants that are WONDERFUL! I'm really looking forward to posting those. If you are a fan of older men getting all cantankerous and grumpy then you're going to love the new episodes. And if you have stuck through the alphabet I think you're going to love the new stuff even more!

Now I need to go and study a script, write a script and make sure that funds are moving in my direction.

See you tomorrow!

Avengers Trailer

2011-10-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

This is it:

I was actually a little underwhelmed by it - but it DOES look like a good movie and VERY big in scope! I didn't walk away with goosebumps, but I am REALLY excited!

See you tomorrow!

Beard Watch 2011: First shave Edition

2011-10-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

This is the first shave.

Can you even see the growth?

I have to be careful, if Charlie licks my face to hard it might come off.

Also, a little sneak peak at the ad for "Earthlings Beware" that will be running in papers soon!

See you tomorrow!

Mobile Blog: At Rehearsal

2011-10-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

I'm chillin' after having been stabbed during rehearsal for "Earthlings Beware" which is going very well, stabbing & all!

Right now a tentacled mutant is wrestling a car while trying to crush our heroes. An alien is holding a space knife to the principled professor & the Commander of the Agarians is dying slowly.

Shit's hard-core.

We open October 28th!

See you tomorrow!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

The Drama of Facial Hair

2011-10-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

I grow facial hair like a 3 year old.

It's sad really.

I shave about once a week and there are times when people don't even notice. Nice to have a baby face, but for "Earthlings Beware" Rene suggested a VanDyke for my science teacher character, and I agree with her. I end up on the wrong side of right in this play and I think an Evil Spock VanDyke is just the kind of facial hair that a man like that would sport.

And glasses. I want black horn-rimmed glasses as well.

But back to the facial hair - I want to grow out my own beard for this show so begins THE 2011 DON'T SHAVE-A-THON!

Actually I will be shaving, but in a way that encourages the growth of the VanDyke and nothing else.

Here is a picture of how I think I will look with the facial hair and glasses:

Pretty hot right?!

See you tomorrow!

Space on the Brain

2011-10-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's because of the new play or maybe it's just because they were the best episodes in my opinion, but "3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean" has been all space all the time the last three weeks! This week's episode is no different since we get into what could probably be considered our most serious discussion yet and it's all about BSG.

Here it is:

In other news I am handling the added responsibility of the show better than I thought I would - but I still didn't get that call into the insurance guys yesterday.

Should probably do that now...

See you tomorrow!

New Day, New Play & Story time with Ray!

2011-10-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

I may have taken on more than I can handle.

As it stands right now I already have very full days and very little unoccupied time, but Rene is the lead in a play, "Earthlings Beware," and someone had to back out leaving the production in a lurch - a lurch that has been surprisingly difficult to fill.

So I have been asked to come step in!

The play is a satire of the 50's Sci-Fi epics like It Came From Outer Space and Them so it's super cheesy (in a good way), lots of live special effects, and video projections. It looks like it's going to be a LOT of fun, but it dawned on me yesterday just how much I have on my plate now.

I actually need to follow up with my insurance company RIGHT NOW because I don't know if they've paid off my car yet or not. For more info on that see THIS BLOG.

And to finish off with a shameless plug today - here's the newest "Story Time with Ray" in case you missed it yesterday.

See you tomorrow!

Rene Nosferatu

2011-10-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

We were shooting new episodes of "Make-Up with The Wolf" yesterday that will play later this month. One of those episodes saw Rene turned into a horrible, terrible Buffy/Lost Boys style vampire!

This was her first experience with a full facial prosthetic and it turned out really cool!

I'll let you know when the video is up, but for now check out some pictures of Rene as a blood sucker!

This was prep - get the hair out of the way, prep the skin, etc.

Final!

Even trying to look friendly, she still looked menacing.

With Director Zeke.

With Make-Up Artist Myke.

Rene got in her wedding dress to do a series of Vampire Bride.

Eating the cat!

Snaggle tooth (one of the teeth fell out).

See you tomorrow!

Our Crazy Cat

2011-10-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Our cat Charlie is... special.

He was full grown when we adopted him so he had developed all of his quirks before we even met him. He's a very sweet, very funny cat but he was also raised on the street so, every once in a while, his inner tiger comes out!

I have scars on my hands and neck from inner tiger moments.

All fear-of-being-killed-in-my-sleep-by-my-cat aside, we love our little Charlie because of all the cute fun things he does, like this:

He attacks women he doesn't like on the TV. When he watches "Jersey Shore" he loses his shit.

He hangs out above the stove and watches in silent judgement as we cook.

He experiments in photography.

He hides above the cupboard - waiting to attack!

He explores the jungles of Bora Bora.

Here he is at Trevie Fountain in Italy.

And he sleeps in screwed up positions with his mouth open. He has remarkably small bottom teeth!

See you tomorrow!

Had A Plan, But It Didn't Go to Plan.

2011-10-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

Need an extra day to actually write the blog I want to write which include a fun picture of our cat Charlie sleeping in a weird way. But My day did not go as planned and this blog is being released at 11pm instead of 11 am.

It happens.

The primary concern is to get this video out:

The rest will just have to wait until tomorrow where I'll have different pictures to share so the cat may or may not get bumped to a different day.

I know, I know.

See you tomorrow!

How Spock Says "Eff You."

2011-10-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

So Spock is a Vulcan and Vulcans are a civilization that have eliminated their emotions...

...but even an emotionless Vulcan needs to flip off the occasional Andorian and this is what it looks like:

Can you dig it?

I knew you could.

Here's a series of pictures where I'm laying down on the dog.

Why am I showing you a bunch of pictures? Not sure but I've been wanting to talk about how Spock flips people off for, like, three days.

See you tomorrow!

3 Minutes & Boobs

2011-09-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

So, shameless plug out of the way first, here is this week's "3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean" where we talk about Star Wars!

Two things to remember:

Han shot first.
Sebastian Shaw is Anakin Skywalker.

Now onto other things...

I'm including another video today, not a Wiggy Webs show but a video parodying X-Men: First Class. It starts slow, but hang in there:

I am totally on board with the message of this vid. Even when I was a horny 14 year old boy it always seemed strange to me that super heroines/villains would run around almost nekkid blasting each other and fighting. I just feel like both sexes need a lot of support, and maybe even a little protection, if you are prone to being in heavy combat situations. I feel like Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch did a very good job in The Ultimates of creating super hero outfits that look like they'd actually work for super heroes.

Anyway, enjoy the videos.

See you tomorrow!

New "Story Time with Ray!"

2011-09-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

We are REALLY close to the end of the alphabet. Here is Ray's commentary on the letters U & V and how Dr. Seuss uses it.

Love to tell you more about things and stuff, but today is a busy, busy day!
See you tomorrow!

Wanna' Know what Makes Me Crabby?

2011-09-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

No air conditioning and not eating.

Two very simple things to maintain in our modern age and yet there are times when either one or the other will not work or happen and then I am a rage fueled death machine who would rip out your throat as soon as look at you!

Today my AC in my car crapped out 20 minutes from home. It's been a bit spotty in it's reliability for the last month, but I haven't really had the time or means to get it looked at, much less fixed and every time I think it's dead the darn things works like a charm again.

It doesn't help that i'm also feeling fatter than I ever have in my whole life.

Just a rough day and I've lost the gumption to write anything else.

See you tomorrow!

EDIT: Ha! To add to the list of "things-that-didn't-quite-work" this post was suppose to go up yesterday but clearly did not. yay.

Shameless Plug Monday!

2011-09-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

New "Make-Up with The Wolf!"

After this the show is going on a little bit of a hiatus due to how busy Myke is. That's the double edged sword of having a really talented make-up artist, you get really good tips, but someone is always hiring him!

Enjoy it and I think we'll have more in mid/late October - just in time for Halloween!

See you tomorrow!

IT'S A TRAP! With Cheese.

2011-09-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm not the most loyal Star Wars fan anymore. The prequels killed my joy and all the changes without the availability of the original cuts of the original trilogy ignite nerd rage in me that burns with the white hot fire of a thousand burning suns...

...but I like this:

See you tomorrow!

I Forgot to Show You This!

2011-09-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

OMG! How could I not have posted this?!?!? Frankie discovered his love for fountains!

It's been on my personal YouTube page (but don't go there, I almost never post there so if you want to subscribe to something go to the WiggyWebs Channel) but I haven't really shared it with people.

I'm happy to have this horrible oversight corrected now.

Frankie hasn't retained his love for the fountain. He still enjoys sitting by it, but he's never recaptured that I'm-going-to-bite-the-water-and-jump-in magic from this first day.

Go ahead, watch it again - HE'S SO CUTE!

See you tomorrow!

EDIT - OK, I was wrong. I posted this video in the blog right HERE, but it was thrown in with all kinds of other stuff so I'm still going to post it here in its own blog just 'cuz.

New 3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean!!!!!!!

2011-09-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

It's finally here!

The new "3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean!"

There is so much more I want to blog about, but it will just have to wait.

See you tomorrow!

REM Broke Up

2011-09-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

REM was a staple of my adolescence.

In Junior High I was already familiar with their music, but it really struck a cord in 7th grade. While songs from Document were my gateway, it was Out of Time that hooked not only me but a whole nation to their sound. In high school me and my friend Jeff used to ride through Carbon Canyon and listen to Automatic For the People while we talked about girls. I found an interest in politics by wanting to know more about the things they wrote songs about. It helped to form the person I am today.

On September 21, 2011 REM announced that they were breaking up as a band.

I could write this post as a eulogy to them, but it doesn't feel like a bad thing or the death of anything. It feels like a good end.

Over the last few months I've felt like I'm becoming a different person. Not like "I've found myself" kind of different but actually biologically, both physically and mentally different. I'm no longer allergic to cats. I have grown a taste for marshmallows and cooked carrots. Things from my past just seem to be falling away and now a very influential band from that time before has called it quits and it seems appropriate.

I always wondered if I'd notice when I was getting older, what the sign posts would be and how I would tell that I had crossed into the next section of my life. I don't know if it works the same for everyone but all the biological stuff combined with this break-up seems to be one of the sign posts of that change.

Kinda' makes me excited for what else is coming up.

Has this ever happened to you?

See you tomorrow!

Story Time with Ray and Work To Do

2011-09-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

I wanted to get up at 6:30am, but didn't wake up until 8:45.

It's kinda' determined how my day is going to go. On a side note it did make it so that I was in the living room when Maury came on this afternoon and there's a great story about a woman who cheats on her husband like crazy but I have to wait until ten-to-one to see if either of the men on the show is actually the father. Gah!

So we had family visiting and Rene just posted all the pictures to Facebook. The one above is from our trip with them to Temecula wine country. Lots of good wine! I could use a glass of that right now...

I actually have a LOT to do today so I'm getting straight to the shameless plug: Story Time with Ray!

See you tomorrow!

Soaring Over the Globe!

2011-09-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

Been fighting with PDF's all day. So here's another YouTube video, but this time it's a really cool video from the International Space Station. It's really neat and the picture you see above is from it. Enjoy!

See you tomorrow!

My Drink with Hollywood - The Curtis Andersen Interview

2011-09-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

I was doing so well keeping up with writing everyday! We have family in from out of town, my grandparents aunt and uncle, and Rene and I have been on a tear with them doing all kinds of California things. Today they are at Disneyland and I am updating all the websites and social networks.

...and packages.

...and casting memorandums.

There's a lot to do, it's actually a little daunting when I think about it. That's why to-do lists are nice, written down it looks much easier but when I see some of the tasks I know that they might be easy to complete but still time consuming. All complaining aside here is a nice way to spend about ten minutes -watch me on YouTube! This is not a WiggyWebs show but an interview show hosted by actor/director Michael May called "My Drink with Hollywood." I do worry that some things may come off different than intended, but that is probably just my "actor insecurity" kicking in. Or I'm a total ass. Either way I think it's a good interview and I hope you enjoy it!

Also, I know the WiggyWebs release schedule is all jacked up, I'm sorry about that. We've been having editing trouble, but all the technical issues look like they're fixed now and we are catching up. "Make-Up with The Wolf" should be up today, worst case later this week. "Ray" will be on time and, God willing, so should "3 Minutes."

Now, back to work!

See you tomorrow!

9/11

2011-09-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know how to feel about today. 10 years later and it is popular right now - this very instant - to say "never forget" but it still doesn't inform how I feel.

The attacks in 2001 were shocking and horrible - nothing changes that - but after all the sadness and after all the flowery speeches I am still wondering what's different?

This makes me angry.

There's still a hole in the ground at Ground Zero. I don't understand why. Buildings can go up very fast and, in my opinion, the longer that there is still a hole there the longer it's going to take to heal. I assume that there must be a reason because if there weren't I'd hope that public outcry would be deafening, but I don't know what the delay is.

Instead of making us safer the government took away civil liberties, used the fear to push policy and spent a shit load of money on combat unrelated to the attacks. Some of this anger is fueled by 20/20 hindsight, but some of this didn't need to happen at all.

The biggest crime is that 9/11 first responders are STILL having a problem getting the medical care they need due to bureaucratic bullshit and an ineffective congress.

No matter your political leaning I think we can all agree that 9/11 was awful. It effected us in ways that we won't truly understand for decades to come and points out the truly great and truly horrible that exists in our society here in the United States. It's been our biggest tragedy which lead to some of our biggest heroics and our biggest failings.

We do need to remember, but not just the attacks, also the aftermath, both good and bad. And we shouldn't make those that we call heroes suffer for a profit margin.

I open the comments to your opinions.

Friday - My Dog is Pissed at Me

2011-09-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

Frankie loves to walk.

LOVES it.

But he can't handle the heat - not even a little.

His inability to handle heat will prevent us from ever moving to a state like Arizona and will make sure that we always have some kind of air conditioning no matter where we choose to live. It's like he can't regulate his internal temperature.

Well, he can, he is a mammal, but he over-heats easy.

So with this heatwave we have been making sure to take him out for walks in the morning before it gets too hot so that he doesn't collapse miles away from home (he's too heavy to carry) and this morning was no different...

...except I over slept.

I was up late last night, a little insomnia, and didn't go to bed when I wanted to and next thing you know Rene is tapping on my shoulder and it is very clearly day time.

So the sun is out and baking the Earth in it's powerful ultra-violet and visible rays and Frankie needs to drop a deuce.

Like a good doggy daddy I took him out, but, even with the wonderful breeze blowing, the sun was hitting hard and it was clear that this would not be the mile or two walk that he's used to but more along the lines of a few blocks and then panting like a maniac back home.

This is where Frankie disconnects from reality. See, I can tell because I feel the heat on my skin that we are going to get hot pretty quickly. Frankie feels the same thing, but he's also really stubborn and he's convinced, as long at it isn't already over 90, that he can walk three, four maybe even twenty miles before it's time for a treat and a water bowl.

So we clear a few blocks and he's already panting. I turn to make the trip back home and he freezes, holds down his head, gives me the "puppy dog eyes", and holds his ground with his body turned in such a way as to indicate that he wants to go visit the park down the street to jump and play and frolic.

While panting.

I attempt to reason with him, since he understands English, but my reasons do not catch.

I give him the "disappointed dad" look and that softens him, but he still wants to go to the park - and continues to pant.

So I am forced to give a corrective tug on the leash. That does it.

He came in, laid down and he's been pouting ever since.

He ate, he pouted.

He drank, he pouted.

He followed the cat outside, he pouted.

I know he'll get over it and I know that I did the right thing, but it doesn't make seeing him sad any easier.

Puppy parenting is hard.

See you tomorrow!

So, I'm sitting here in front of the computer...

2011-09-08T14:45:00.000-07:00

I feel like it is very easy to tell when I'm sitting in front of the computer doing things because the blog is maintained a bit better.

Maybe not super insightful or long, but maintained.

I'm actually on hold right now as part of the documentary. I spend a lot of time on hold. It's not so bad. I have podcasts on in the background, the internet, and a variety of hold music. Right now I'm listening to a list of accolades that the doctor I've called has acquired. Very impressive.

Now I'm on hold with the IRS. Is there anything more soul depleting than bureaucratic bullshit? I don't think there is. It just sucks the life out of you.

And the inspiration apparently, I'm signing off.

Se you tomorrow!

Dear God I'm Tired...

2011-09-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day and tomorrow looks to be more of the same, but even when it's work that you really enjoy it doesn't change the fact that it's still work and eventually you tucker out. I'd take a picture of my workspace right now, but I'm just too tired. So here's the new State of Stuff video that should have been posted about a week ago and I'm going to hit the hay.

See you tomorrow!

WE DID IT!

2011-09-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

Holy Crap! We totally did it!

Not only did we do it, but the phone has been ringing off the hook since the campaign finished. A nice side effect to the campaign is that the awareness of the film has gotten much higher than we thought it would.

There's actually a great deal of work to do and by 10:42am my battery in my cell phone was almost dead.

Thanks good.

Now I need to make sure that this work gets done!

Hopefully I'll have a video about all this stuff up later today.

Also, in case you haven't heard it enough, thank you so much for all your support!

It's been fantastic and it's left us feeling loved and awed.

Anyway, this blog is probably going to feel pretty disjointed, I keep leaving it to do other things so I'm going to bail.

See you tomorrow!

Shit Just got Real!

2011-09-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

I don't have much time, but the Kickstarter campaign succeeded so...

The Last 24 - The Last Kickstarter Update with Video

2011-09-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

This is it.

The last day.

The final 24.

Because of your support we have crested over $4100 mark! We are close!

Today we need to close the gap!

If everyone who sees this donates $3, less than a cup of Starbucks or Coffee Bean, then we're over.

If those same people post this link: http://kck.st/qZtHxk and we only get 10% response from it we're still over.

$3 and/or a post and we do it. Seriously, that's all it takes. We did math.

To those of you who have been pushing with us this week: Thank you so much for your support and your belief in the project - even if you're just doing it because you personally like Zeke or Myke or myself - it makes us feel really good to know that our friends, family and fans are willing to help us out. Not everyone can say that and we are grateful beyond measure.

Also, here's one last video because Vernon Wells was good enough to loan us his person to add to our cause.

Let's do this!
Curtis

The Last 48

2011-09-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

I don't think I need to put too fine a point on it but - THE END IS NEAR!!!!!!!!!!

The end of the Kickstarter campaign, that is.

For those of you who have backed us thus far: THANK YOU BEYOND THANKS!

For those of you who have promoted us thus far: WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!

For those of you who might still be on the fence: JOIN US OVER HERE!

The support from family, friends, and fans of indie and horror has been awe inspiring and as we get closer to the last hours we need to keep up the hard work - especially with this being a holiday weekend.

Here's the link to post: http://kck.st/qZtHxk

As I'm sure you've seen, Zeke, Myke and I are constantly updating as things happen, like yesterday's addition of Vernon Wells the notable character actor who has donated time and money to the cause!

Zeke will be at the New Beverly Theater tonight for the screening of "Forbidden Zone" plugging away and I'll be around the O.C. reminding you college kids that beer may be fun, but supporting independent horror films is way more fun!

We're also going to try and shoot some video today to get up before we hit the LAST 24 HOURS!

Keep pluggin' and thank you all so much!

See you tomorrow!

Frickin' Amazing!

2011-09-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you is not sufficient to express the amount of gratitude that we have right now!

Yesterday's pledges were humbling and amazing!

We have 2 days left and we are 40% funded!

Also, we have our first takers for the "Date with Gordy", "Make-Up Tutorial with The Wolf" and Co-Executive Producers! A thousand thank yous to you!

The countdown on Kickstarter clock has changed from days to hours and, as you will learn from just about any book on screenwriting, nothing motivates a character like a ticking clock!

None of this - and I TRULY mean NONE of this - would be possible without your help! It has been wonderful and inspiring and most of all EFFECTIVE!

For the next two days I humbly request you keep it up!

Here's the link: http://kck.st/qZtHxk

Please continue to post it and, if you have a spare dollar we'd appreciate the donation!

I'm going to try and get through all of the thank yous today - it is a wonderful challenge!

Thank you again!
Curtis

ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT!!!!

2011-09-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

There's only 3 days left and we are 20% funded!

Here's the Kickstarter link: http://kck.st/qZtHxk

Please keep spreading it! It's working!

Yesterday was a GREAT rally! I kept getting messages every few minutes about new backers and it was awesome! Zeke and I were actually in a meeting yesterday and my Blackberry kept blinking. It was a good reason to have to constantly check my phone!

The image above is a new poster that will be at The New Beverly Theater this Saturday night for the midnight screening of Forbidden Zone that Zeke will be attending. It's a fun movie that features the first appearance of Oingo Boingo when they were still The Mystical Knights of the Oingo Boingo. That's some trivia for ya'.

Zeke will be there pushing the campaign with post cards and pleas. Go have some fun!

Gotta' run, but keep up the good work!

See you tomorrow!

There's Only 4 Days Left! GAH!

2011-08-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

The updates continue - 4 Days and 20% funded.

The link: http://kck.st/qZtHxk

This morning has been an hour and a half uploading video to YouTube - it was more daunting than usual. But the nice thing is the WiggyWebs schedule is back on track! Go check it out and comment and "thumbs up" and share and make it go viral so I can make a butt load of money and just make videos starring Rene for a living.

kthanx!

Now I've got to run up to L.A., meet with some people, do some things.

More later! KICKSTARTER!!!!!!! http://kck.st/qZtHxk

See you tomorrow!

ohmanohmanohman - WE ONLY HAVE SIX DAYS LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-08-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

Crap in a hat, people, I'm near panic right now as we get closer and closer to our deadline on Kickstarter.

Perhaps you have already seen the official update from the page, it looks like this:

THE HEAT IS ON!!!!
We have only SIX DAYS LEFT and I'd be lying if I said we aren't feeling the pressure.
It's there and we're feeling it.
To our current backers: you are wonderful and generous and we cannot thank you enough.
To everyone else: We REALLY need you right now!
We happily accept any monetary support you can provide and, if we can be so bold, please pop out this link to everyone you know!
http://kck.st/qZtHxk
We have new videos coming out today and we'll be posting updates the rest of the week to let you know where we're at. Here's today:
Countdown - 6 days
We are 13% Funded
Let's get that last 87%!!
Curtis

So, yeah, kinda' "beg-y" but here's where i'm really at:

DEAR GOD! pkleaseohpleaseohpleasegivememoney! I NEED SO MUCH MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!1111!!11!1!!!!!11!!!!!!!!1!!!!

Somehow I don't think that "reads" as well.

The pressure is definitely getting to me here on Monday morning and if you follow me on Twitter get ready for a ridiculous amount of tweeting all about Cheerleaders and the Kickstarter campaign. Rene has already started and proven her love for me over and over again by annoying the crap out of her followers, friends and family - it's working!

New "Make-Up with the Wolf" later today. If you like it please drop a buck or two in the Kickstarter fund. Every little bit helps!

See you tomorrow!

Ten Days.

2011-08-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

Forgive me readers for I have failed. It has been 10 11 days since my last post.

It's not that I don't want to post. I have guilt.

It's easy to say, "I'm busy" or "I just keep running out of time" but the real reason is all about priorities and the fact that, even though I say that this blog is one, it usually isn't. Even the Wiggy blog, which is essential to the updating of the Wiggy website, doesn't carry the kind of weight that I feel like it should. Conflicting brain things going on here.

So where are my priorities? They are all on the things that I am doing to make money. I hope you're all aware of the Kickstarter campaign that we're running for The Cheerleaders Must Die - if you're not then go check the links. That has been surprisingly time consuming. Zeke and I were talking about it the other day on the phone that it is legitimate "work" to maintain and produce more content for that outlet. Hell, the Kickstarter update blog is the only blog that I have managed to keep up with on a regular basis! And there is also the shooting of the documentary which is going VERY well. And there's the WiggyWebs stuff - like this:

And a cool video of Frankie playing in our fountain:

I also made this cool robot drawing for my buddy Dean. I can't tell you why he's collecting pictures of robots, but it's cool!

So, yeah, all bitching aside I am planning on posting more and not making excuses, even if these last few blogs seem like they are nothing but excuses. That's about it for today, hopefully I'll...

See you tomorrow!

Kickstarter is my reason for waking up right now.

2011-08-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

We have been busy.

Really busy.

"Don't have time to put away laundry or buy groceries" busy.

This blog and everything not related directly to project financing has suffered.

Except the dog, the dog is good. Cat's kind of an asshole though.

Anyway, here's a new video for new rewards for the campaign and a copy of the update for those of you who haven't seen it!

Don't let it be said that we as filmmakers don't have, what investors call, skin in the game. So far we have released what might be considered pretty "normal" rewards - but today we launch something all new, and all different: Win A Date With Gordy and Make-Up Lessons From The Wolf!

Yes, that's right, personal time with myself (and probably my wife so I'm not accosted) and Myke in exchange for your support. These are special types of rewards and have a few extra rules:

1) Please don't be crazy. Passionate is fine, being a fan is great or even just a student who wants some face time is cool - but if you end up being bat-shit crazy we reserve the right to make you leave.

2) These are limited to a MAXIMUM of 5 backers each. We don't have a lot of time and are more than happy to make time for our contributors, but we need to set a limit.

3) While you will receive all the other "typical" rewards should you pledge for one or the other the only way to get both is to pledge $501 or more, other wise pledge the amount for either of us. Hell if you want to pledge more, but don't want to cross the $500 threshold, just message us which you would like, we'll make a note.

Thank you so much and don't forget to tell a friend! You can copy/paste this link: http://kck.st/qZtHxk

See you soon,
Curtis

OK, When I said that the shameless plugs were going away I totally meant in September.

2011-08-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

So, yes, I want to return this blog to the writing exercise that it was intended to be, but I also REALLY want to make this movie! So when it's appropriate, like Mondays when we do our really big updates, I'm going to shamelessly plug the CRAP out of it!

With that in mind we have two new rewards available at our Kickstarter page! They are autographed photos of yours truly and one of our stars Shirly Brener! The pictures look like this:

Shirly's might change, but we're going with this right now. If you are a Sabrina fan or just like pictures of attractive women these might be just what you're looking for!

See you tomorrow!

I Missed a Day, But We Went To The Fair So It's Cool.

2011-08-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

Blogger didn't post my Friday blog when it was supposed to! That sucks!

Also, I missed yesterday. Sorry.

I'm still struggling with the whole one space after a period/two spaces after a period thing. Gah!

That's neither here nor there, let' talk about the fair!

It has become a tradition for Rene and I to go to the Orange County Fair every year. In all the years I have lived in O.C., and I've been here over 25 of them, I never really got into the fair. I was taken once or twice over the years but never really got into it until Rene shared her joy of the fair with me.

Now we're Super Pass holders.

We got Really lucky this year and got ours through Groupon so our were half price! Seriously, Groupon doesn't sponsor me or anything, but Rene and I really enjoy a lot of the deals that they offer. If you enjoy trying new things Groupon is an inexpensive way to do it.

Our trips to the fair are a celebration of fried food, terrorizing carnival rides and sushi - but I think pictures speak louder than words:

And every year we take photo booth photos, are are the ones for 2011:

See you tomorrow!

Wine Blog - This Might Be A Horrible Idea

2011-08-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Is this blog about wine?

NO!

Is it fueled by wine?

YES!

Particularly a Lanzarac 2004 Chardonnay that has been in the fridge a smidge too long and smells like old gym socks but still tastes surprisingly good - like a stinky cheese.

Cheese sounds really good right now. And crackers.

The wife and I are feeling conflicted right now about our enjoyment of "Jersey Shore" since it is the kind of TV candy that rots brains faster than a tooth in a glass of Coke/Pepsi. But we enjoy it so much! The premiere was on tonight and I think that they are starting to show some strain. The relationships just felt a little more forced than previous seasons, but after hearing that a few of them left early during the filming of the next season I guess that isn't such a stretch.

I'm gonna' eat a Hershey bar.

See you tomorrow!

When did folding laundry become bourgeois?

2011-08-04T11:51:00.000-07:00

Or maybe it didn't. All I know is that I should be doing that and not writing this, but I'm very determined to maintain my daily writing, even if it interferes with other tasks. I'm sick. Not so sick that I'm debilitated, just sick enough that I'm producing a great deal of snot that ends up filling my throat and stomach. That's actually worse then the whole being sick thing.

I have "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on in the background as I fill out paperwork and make phone calls. It's a later season marathon and the big bad is Dracula. It's really good! The more I see of Joss Whedon's stuff the more I like it.

I'm still working on the blog that I mentioned in The ShmimCast. I'm hoping it will be up tomorrow.

Now I must go!

See you tomorrow!

I'm Writing This Under Duress!

2011-08-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

I want to take a nap SO BAD! Rene has been sick since Sunday and, even though I tried very hard, I think I got a touch of it.

Not think, I know. I know I got a touch of it. My body has been trying to rest all week and, for the most part, I've been able to indulge it but today I have shit to do and I shouldn't take a nap.

But I really want to take a nap.

Actually I should probably take a nap. Then I can work well rested.

Yeah, that sounds good!

Here, watch a video:

See you tomorrow!

New Vids, Kickstarter, ShmimCast & Noticing a Slowdown

2011-08-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, followers, lurkers and stalkers! August 2nd marks the day that I publicly state that I'm going to get back to daily posting. For what it's worth.

This is mostly selfish. I've noticed that since my blogging has gotten lackadaisical I have had a significant dropoff in readers. That's no good! I like you guys! I look forward to your comments, messages and Tweets so I clearly need to maintain my side of the deal better. I also want to let you know that not ALL my posting will be Shameless Self Promotion and Plugs. There will still be SOME, but I'll be getting back to what this blog was developed for - writing practice.

But let's get the plugs and stuff out of the way.

New Story Time with Ray! He's writin' poems!

The Kickstarter Campaign! We are making The Cheerleaders Must Die! and we need your help.

The Cheerleaders Must Die! Official Fan Page. Like it!

OK, there we go. Next up!

I have been learning, against my will, how to code websites. It's like math class in junior high all over again. Except harder.

The coding itself isn't too bad, it's logical and as long as you pay attention it's hard to make any real mistakes, but navigating the different control panels between different companies - especially those where the HELP CHAT IS NOT WORKING - is frustrating, aggravating and, especially for me, momentum killing. So far, as long as I can find the section I need to work on, I've been doing alright. I've had a great deal of help from friends Scott Sanford, computer genius, and Amy Dallen, a cy-curious genius (get it? CY-curious?! like CYBER-curious?!?! I KILL me!) without who I would be treading the computer equivalent of water. Still stuck on a couple key things - my CurtisAndersen.com email still isn't redirecting correctly (sorry if you've tried to send mail there) and our main domain for TCMD! isn't resolving - but they are getting worked on as I write this.

I should let you know that I've been away from this blog for a while. I've lost my writing momentum and this is stream of consciousnesses writing to try and get back on track. Not sure that it's working.

Have you listened to my latest episode of The Shmimcast? It's gotten some very positive reviews and I think it's not too bad. totally worth a listen!

I surrender. Here's a picture of me with a muppet:

See you tomorrow!

There's So Much Going On!

2011-07-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

I've been to ComiCon, we've had the Wiggy Webs shows coming out, we started a new Kickstarter campaign for The Cheerleaders Must Die!, new websites are being built, new social networking is happening and I have to repair my email address and the tracking on the WVS blog.

It's been a busy week.

All technical things aside, even though they have taken/are taking a lot of time, the creative things and the progress on different projects are really feeling good! I'll take you through bit by bit.

ComiCon - this is my first ComiCon since 1997! At that show I got strep throat, ate Greek food for the first time, bought a Green Lantern t-shirt and power ring. It was fun, crowded and very geeky. With the exception of almost dying from the strep it was a good time. This year was all about business and supporting my buddy Zeke and the short film he did with our good friends over at The Price. Not much has changed from when I was last there, and based on what I was told this is the first year where it felt like it was about comic books again, it was still fun, crowded and very geeky - but we were also able to do some real movie business! There are pictures on my Fan Page.
To get it out of the way, I screwed up the path to my @curtisandersen.com email addresses. My bad. I'm fixing it, but just in case you can also reach me at curtis@wiggyvonschtick.com.
The Cheerleaders Must Die! - This movie is getting made! Just, not yet. We have started a Kickstarter campaign to help pay for some of the materials we need to get the financing that will get this movie made! Please check it out here and even if you can't donate we hope you'll send it to your friends because crowd source financing works best when you have a large crowd! Also by this tim next week we'll have some fun new official news about the movie - keep your eyes on the Wiggy website for details!
WiggyWebs - To wrap us up today I want to make sure you know about this week's Wiggy Web's shows! New "Story Time with Ray" and "3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean!" We've also started pre-production on some new bits and bobs for August!

So that's about all for updates! See you tomorrow!

This is not a blog.

2011-07-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting on the couch exhausted.

The house could use some picking up. The dog could use a walk and a bath. There are a few dishes that would appreciate a scrub. And there is laundry that needs to be put away. But I'm not doing any of that. I'm writing clipped sentence fragments and being horrified by the commercial for the Smurfs movie. Geez, that looks bad.

I got my newly re-ordered headshots today. They spelled my last name wrong. We sent emails back and forth correcting the name, but they arrived today with the wrong last name. I've fired off an email informing them of the situation and if I weren't so tired I'd probably care a lot less, but it got me all annoyed.

There is no real point to this blog so I think I'm going to grab a nap.

See you tomorrow!

I, Literally, Saw A Meat Sack... And Joss Whedon

2011-07-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

I have been powering away at a new blog for a few weeks now. It's still cookin', I'm working on my endings since then tend to peter out at the end, but it's not done so in the mean time I thought it might be a good idea to tell you about other things. Things like what I saw today while shooting the documentary. We can ignore the fact that I ran into Stan Lee in the parking garage (even though it was frickin' cool!) because what I saw today was pretty gross and shouldn't be remembered in the same brain cells.

As you probably already know we're working on a documentary about plastic surgery and a part of that is filming surgeries. Today we got to see two of the original breast implants from 1983 removed from a woman.

1983!

Twenty-four years!

From what we were told today, and later saw, those old implants were never designed to last that long. They were intended to be placed for ten years and then replaced - like tires. At least that's what we were told. The scary part is that both implants had burst.

That's bad.

It was kinda' ok though because her body had formed scar tissue, called encapsulation, around the implant completely containing the leaking silicone.

Except that encapsulation is bad too.

Her body has been fighting the implants and trying to heal for almost thirty years!

When the doctor removed the scar tissue it looked like really thick placenta filled with sand, crumbled egg shells and cottage cheese. It was awful. The implant had discolored and the silicone looked like baby poop or diarrhea.

It is relieving to know that modern implants are built to outlive the person they're in because this was a very unfortunate sight to see.

On a happier note, new "3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean!"

See you tomorrow!

Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

Sitting on the couch watching Rene sort papers, listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour, sitting next to a sleeping dog and a cat who is cleaning himself. It's a pretty mellow day - even if a good part of that day was spent doing maintenance for pet and home.

Rene and I are enjoying the day as a rest day. We did the big "hang out & eat bar-b-que" yesterday and, with the exception of the occasional pops and whistles from illegal fireworks outside, today doesn't really feel much like a holiday. It's a welcome change.

I do have some work to do today - easy fun work, but work all the same - and a video to post on WiggyWebs.

To end today I'd like to feature a picture of Frankie with his America bandana:

See you tomorrow!

New Look! For Now...

2011-07-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

You may notice a small change here on the site - that's right, I changed the template!

I felt that the old green/blue page, while fine before, didn't reflect what I wanted now. Which this new template is closer to. It's still not quite there yet. There's still new site design happening - but with my current workload it has become clear to me that it is going to take a bit longer to get that done.

It looks like we're going to have to take a week off of WiggyWebs due the the hectic/packed schedule on the plastic surgery doc. I will probably do some small vlogs for the channel just to keep content coming out. You heard it here first, but don't be surprised if there are new videos next week. Well maybe be surprised. I don't know, I'm actually trying to do, like, eight different things at once here and I feel like I'm just rambling.

I hope you enjoy the new layout, you may notice that it looks and awful lot like the WiggyVonSchtick Blog and website, that's not on accident it's all part of my nefarious plot to unify the brands!

OK, I gotta' go. BTW: what do you think of this picture?

See you tomorrow!

Moving and Posting and Frustrations with Blogger

2011-06-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

Man, oh man I'm a little torqued at Blogger right now. At least as far as the Wiggy blog is concerned. If you click the link then you'll notice that I've pointed to the WVS Prod. page because right now I can't even log onto the Wiggy Blog! It keeps giving me a 505 message?! WTF?!?! Needless to say I haven't posted any new blogs over there for the last two days, but hopefully that will be fixed soon. I actually have a catch-up blog written and waiting to be posted as soon as it is back up.

On a different note I'm going to start using my Facebook Fan Page more often so I hope you'll pop over there and "Like" it if you haven't already. Seriously, I know it just seems like a shameless plug site, but at the end of summer it will be my primary page. Word.

To wrap up here are this week's Wiggy Webs videos! Subscribe HERE and watch below!

See you tomorrow!

BONUS POST! Pit Bull Activism

2011-06-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

People know about Rene and my Pit Bull activism and that we like to help where we can. This is one of those times. Here's the message from our friend:

My brother and his girlfriend volunteer their time at a Pit Bull rescue in San Diego and foster two themselves, which they have just recently fully adopted. Their love for the dogs is contagious and I have become a fan of them as the sweet, playful pups they truly are. Anyway, I know you are a fan of Pit Bulls too.

The Union Tribune, in San Diego, is instigating another pit bull debate in SD. Please call 1(800)244-6397 ext. 2506 and let them know that we do NOT want pit bulls banned in San Diego County! (It's all automated.) Press "2" to vote that it's the owners' responsibility and not the breed. And feel free to pass this on to others who might be interested.

I don't fault the Tribune for holding a survey, but I hope that they will structure their article as fact based reporting versus exploiting a villainized breed.
If you love Pitties too, please call in - especially if you live in San Diego!

Thank you!

Workout, Water & Ray

2011-06-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

I started my new workout on Monday (which is today as I'm writing but yesterday when this posts) which excludes the gym (I just don't make the time to make the 1.5 mile trip) and takes away all the excuses that I manage to make for myself. I really enjoyed it! Frankie is my cardio and then I use body resistance (push-ups, bicycle crunches and I'm going to add pull-ups and chin-ups) for all the muscle stuff. I never had a desire to be a "buff guy" and my body type isn't one where "buff guy" was going to happen, but I am definitely growing a gut (thanks early 30's!) and I don't like that. I'll let you know how it's going.

I've been really dry the last few days. Between the heat an running the A/C I've had a decent thirst and I'm drinkin' water...

I really thought I was gonna' take that somewhere. In my brain I had a train of thought about drinking water that made sense to write but then I wrote it and it boiled down to "I was thirsty so I had water." That is not interesting. It is anti-climatic and disappointing though.

So, to finish this up I've got the new "Story Time with Ray" video. Enjoy!

See you tomorrow!

Mobile Blog: Photo Test & A Cat

2011-06-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

So when testing new things for the blog I could run the test, check it & delete it - but what fun is that!?!?!?

When I look at the blog, the entries that are photo-less don't look as good as the ones with photos but I wasn't sure if I could add photos via my phone. This post tests the theory that I can if they are attached to the entry like a picture attached to an email. If this works it will change all my Mobile Blog Entries.

You should see a picture of Brad the Cat. Brad had to visit us because he is a foster & looking for a home. He is a really sweet cat who LOVES people. He didn't take to Frankie really well, but warmed up to him & so we believe he'll do really well with other animals, especially if they are smaller than Frankie (50 lbs). He's playful, curious & sweet & didn't get into anything he wasn't supposed while I saw him. If you are looking for a cat this would be a great choice. Oh, & he's 5 years old.

If the picture doesn't work then you'll just have to trust me that he's cute.

See you tomorrow!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Mobile Blog: Swimming & In-N-Out = Summer

2011-06-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

The nice thing about working in production is that you have a certain amount of freedom with your time and on days like today that means hittin' the pool with my sister and the nephews.

I don't always get a chance to do this but when I do it's always a lot of fun and it takes me right back to when I used to be able to just hang out at the pool when I was in high school.

I think all of us that are old enough can look back fondly on those high school days, forget whatever drama there was & enjoy it with the kind of "Americana Googles" that paints the memories of our parents & grandparents. For me swimming at the pool by my parents house always needed to end with a Double Double. Today was no different.

I wish I could describe how the nostalgia plays out in my brain, but I'm very confident most of you have memories of your own. It feels good. Makes me happy & warm & oogly woogly. And now that I've had my burger I'm full.

I hope you have wonderful summer days & feel free to tell your own stories in the comments!

See you tomorrow!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

It's Wednesday and You Know What That Means!!!!

2011-06-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

The new "3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean" is up!

We are shooting more episodes soon and want to know what YOU want discussed! Hit us at the Wiggy Twitter, Curtis's Twitter, The Wiggy Webs Channel, The Facebook Fan pages for Curtis or Wiggy or right here in the comments of this blog! We've already received some great ideas, but the more we have the more we can shoot.

That's all the shameless self-promotion that we're going to do today, but I hope you enjoy the video. We are down to the last episode before we shoot new ones and Dean and I have some new ideas to implement that we're pretty excited about. New intro! New opening and closing music! All new, all different editing techniques that will probably be unnoticeable to the casual viewer! Good stuff.

I recorded a new episode of The Shmimcast last weekend, I mentioned it on Twitter, and when it is released I will post a link here to it. Also, I'm going to be playing with the look of the blog this week as we play with the new web stuff - so don't be surprised.

There's so much stuff I want to tell you about - but it isn't time. I'll just have to wait.

See you tomorrow!

What?!?! Is that a new URL?!?!?

2011-06-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

Yes!

And no.

I've owned CurtisAndersen.com for quite a while, but it has gone through some... developmental problems. Some of you may remember the last debacle before I just pointed to the MySpace page - but now that MySpace is horribly irrelevant and I actually do like it when people read my blog I'm pointing the URL to my blog!

Now I should probably mention that I intend this to be a temporary fix. I'm meeting with the web team soon to pop-up the Cheerleaders Must Die page and we have already been talking about how to manifest the new CurtisAndersen.com page. We have a solution but I'm not a code guy so it may take a while even then, though, the primary focus will be the blog so why not start now?

In other news there's a new "Story Time with Ray":

Have some neat things in the pipe. I'll mention them when they actually become something.

See you tomorrow!

"Wait, so you posted this yesterday?"

2011-06-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Is what you might be saying to yourself right now since for every other Wiggy Webs released to date thus far I have posted on the Twitter feeds, Facebook pages and blogs all at the same time.

Well, I'm trying something new.

This blog was started as a way for me to be able to push my writing every day and, even though it is perfectly reasonable to want to hock my wares on this page as well as every other I have direct access to, I feel like it isn't as cool as keeping this a place for writing first and sharing after. So, yeah, don't get me wrong I'm still going to post stuff about projects here and shamelessly self-promote through this blog, but it might not be as timely as the Wiggy pages or the Twitter feeds. Or the Facebook pages.

Ok, this is the only place that won't just be a page to shill stuff - but I'm still going to do it!

Like today, for instance. Say you haven't been to the Wiggy Webs channel on YouTube so perhaps you haven't seen the new "3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean" where we talk about horror movies. Well you can now!

And then tomorrow we'll probably be back to geeky stuff or talking about how my car still isn't fixed yet. Oh! Or maybe how I'm unofficially running for President! Help me get #Curtis2012 trending on Twitter!

See you tomorrow!

Geekatude: Witch Hunters & Returning to 40k

2011-06-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

There are previous posts about my geekness. I'm a guy who still plays D&D (3.5 with the same guys who I've been playing with for about 20 years), I love scifi, horror, & fantasy and I'm a Warhammer 40,000 gamer. I'm going to let my freak flag fly and start doing blogs under the Geekatude banner where I'll talk about stuff I'm doing associated with my hobbies and whatever else seems kinda' geeky.

To start I'm going to show off some of the current hobby projects that I've either just finished and the ones I've just started. First things first - I've FINALLY finished my Mordheim Witch Hunters warband! For the un-initiated Mordheim is a Games Workshop table-top skirmish game. You can learn more about it HERE. The last time I played this game was 2003. Yeah, it was a long time ago. I've been a bit busy. The Witch Hunters are religious zealots who wander the streets of Mordheim beating mutants and rat men and anyone else who crosses their path. Insert your own political joke here. The Witch Hunters themselves look like really mean pilgrims and they are followed by crazies and flagellants and keep warhounds. Here's the whole warband:

I was playing in a league when I put these guys together and did well enough, but I've always wanted to play them again, I'm hoping I'll get the opportunity in the next league - Mordheim is not a widely played game. These are some of my favorite guys:

This is a warhound based on Frankie. This bit of resin is 1000 times more vicious than the real Frankie.

This is my WH Captain. That contorted face is the face of righteous anger!

This guy is so zany he fights with a hand puppet.

This was the guy I finished when I started painting again this year. Started in 2003, finished in 2011.

This is the bounty hunter I finished before starting the new project.

On the "New Project" front I have started filling in the troops for my Warhammer 40,000, AKA 40k, army (learn about it HERE). I used to be a Space Marine guy, at the time I had more money than sense and bought a LOT of armies - Nurgle Chaos Marines, Tau, more marine stuff and loads more plastic and pewter than a man could ever paint or use. These extra bits came in handy when it came time to pay for my divorce, but I kept the Imperial Guard Army because deep down that was always the army I wanted (although I have had some pretty good Space Marine ideas again... but they'll have to wait...). This is the state of my paint station as of this afternoon:

If all goes to plan, as slim a chance as that might be, then I should have a fully painted 1,500 points of IG by the end of summer...

...or a lot of primed plastic. We'll see how things go.

See you tomorrow!

Monday Pluggin' and A Hint of Things to Come...

2011-06-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

Getting the plug out of the way first: NEW STORY TIME WITH RAY!!!!!!!

OK, so other things that get repeated in here too often: very busy, shooting stuff, working on papers for new projects, blah, blah, blah - all of this is still true, but for those of you who remember that I have a geeky side - and I know you're out there - the geekness is back - and I'm taking pictures!

I'm not going to put it in this blog, today is about Ray, but soon (maybe tomorrow?) you'll see the geeky underbelly and what I've had time to do since Rene has been doing her professional intensive at SCR. Might have to go into that in more detail as well.

Anyway, enjoy Ray, subscribe, etc. I've got to get back to work!

See you tomorrow!

The Plugging Continues with Toilet Paper!

2011-06-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

So as I'm sure you've noticed the last few blogs have been SHAMELESS self promotion! Just rediculous! corporate in their frosty tone and devoid of any personality.

A good bit of today's blog is more of that, but there's a little bit more to it as well. First let's get the corporate synergy out of the way:

Thank you for helping to make "3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean" the most popular show on WiggyWebs!

As scheduled today is the next episode and the guys are talking about Toilet Paper!

Make sure you subscribe HERE and get the episodes as soon as they load and check out the other vids like "Story Time with Ray."

We expect to have episodes of "3 Things with Rene" in production next week, so you can look forward to that.

And just to add more shameless plugging to an already shameless plug filled post please check out these links for our Twitter feeds, Facebook Fan Pages and blogs!

Seriously follow all of those, please. I'm trying to expand my reach and I promise I won't spam.

I wasn't kidding, though, "3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean" is the most popular thing on WiggyWebs right now - not that it's saying much since we're really only a week old, but I thought it was pretty cool! I was actually surprised because it did significantly better in its first day than "Story Time with Ray" did and I think that the "C&D" episode is particularly funny! The only difference between the two is that I embedded the "3 Minutes..." video in the company and this blog and didn't for "Story Time..." so I'm reposting the "Story Time..." episode in this blog to see if that helps.

Let me know what you guys think!

See you tomorrow!

Story Time with Ray is BACK!

2011-06-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

Remember a long time ago when we posted Story Time with Ray and he taught you how to use the letters A & B? Well we did and you can see it HERE.

Well the promise of the remaining letters is being delivered now with the Wiggy Webs launch and you can see the newest video HERE!

Every Monday we'll be releasing the next Story Time so make sure to be subscribed so you never miss an episode! And if you want any advice from Ray leave your questions in the comments!

See you soon!

Wiggy Webs Goes Live!

2011-06-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

That's right, starting today Wiggy Webs is LIVE!

Above is the first of a long string of new content that will be released every week!

The current schedule is as follows:

Monday - Story Time with Ray - We'll finish the alphabet and then Ray will share his words of wisdom with the children... although I don't know that you'll want your children watching.
Wednesday - 3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean - Curtis and Dean discuss a variety of topics for 3 minutes. Not a complicated concept, as you see above, but the discussions get pretty good even though they get abruptly cut off!
Friday - Three Things with Rene - This show is coming later this month, but Rene is going to talk about three things she's loving and three things she's hating each week.

New shows will be added as we grow so don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel!

For now enjoy 3 Minutes with Curtis & Dean above and tell a friend!

It's been about a month...

2011-05-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

...and I've been so quiet here because I've actually been accomplishing the things that I said I was slacking on in the last post. This has been freeing and exciting and is motivating me to keep going. In fact, this motivation is helping me clear-up some long term goals that I thought I wouldn't be able to get for months! Could still use a decent influx of capitol, but things are getting done and I like that!

Now I'd love to write more, but I'd prefer to spend the time getting other things done.

I'll write again soon!

Calling Myself Out

2011-04-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

I'm mad at myself.

I've let myself get overwhelmed as I attempt too many things all at the same time and because of that there are things that I've fallen horribly behind on.

To cover my ass I should mention that the things that are making my living right now have received the appropriate amount of attention - I do have my priorities in line.

I'm now over four months past when I thought I would have started releasing the Wiggy Webs shorts that still sit in the editing computer in the bay waiting to be cut. This really bothers me. I think we've got some really fun content locked up in that machine, but I just haven't found the time to cut it. I'm purposely mentioning it here so that I can call myself out and raise the personal pressure to get these segments cut and done.

Rene and I also want to do a travel show. We have some ideas that get us really excited, but it will probably be mid to late summer before we'll have a chance to do anything about it.

Don't be afraid to constantly comment or question about when these things are going to get done. Nothing motivates like the constant barrage of inquisitive voices!

See you tomorrow!

Accident!

2011-04-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

I got rear ended Wednesday. Bad. After traveling for about 4000 miles I end up getting nailed in my home state on the 5 freeway. Naturally. I'm fine physically, but my car has seen better days and it is going to take a while to get it fixed, if it can be fixed. Here's what it looks like:

It's a royal headache and I can't wait until it's all over.

See you tomorrow!

Travels & Stuff!

2011-04-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

It's been over two weeks since my last blog and in that time there has been so much going on. they include:

Business stuff I can't talk about yet, so I'll stop mentioning it.
A trip to New Orleans Louisiana for business and pleasure.
Super cool stuff for the documentary.

There is an opposite side to this coin, but they are such first world problems:

My to do list continues to grow faster than I can check things off.
There's not enough money for all the cool shit we want to do.
There is too much cool shit that we want to do!

We had a great time in New Orleans! Rene's family hails from the Crescent City and I have always wanted to go there. Even though the effects of Hurricane Katrina are still very obvious, the city has a magic that no natural disaster can wash away. In addition to enjoying the local flavor of the town (including the food, drinks and even the touristy stuff) we also stumbled on to a couple movie sets that were filming down there. Here are some select pics of our trip:

Looks like we may be able to do some business in N.O. and that is VERY exciting! Whether it is business or pleasure I can't wait to get back!

Since I'm catching up I'm going to go off and write a few more blogs about some of the other stuff I mentioned earlier - spread them out over the next few days. The next one will be published Monday, give you something to read at work that might be slightly less boring than what you should be doing.

See you tomorrow... err, Monday!

Experiments in Stroy Telling

2011-04-07T11:00:00.000-07:00

There's a lot going on in my life right now, so much that it is hard to catch my breath and see exactly what is going on. It reminds me of a Lionel Richie interview when he talked about all the things that were going on in the 80's. He said he didn't really get to enjoy what he was doing because he was always spending his time either getting to an event to perform or running from a place he just performed at. The last six months or so have felt like that for me too, although I haven't been singing "Dancing on the Ceiling" to crowds of tens of thousands of people. It's wake up, rush, probably shoot, rush, teach, rush, sit, sleep. Not the most glamorous schedule in the world. Better than digging a ditch, but not glamorous.

Today we caught a break, though. Our interview for the documentary went very well and ended a few minutes early and I got some bonus "sit" time. I thought about what we've actually been doing and it occurred to me that, as much as I keep complaining that I'm not exercising my creativity, I've actually been experimenting with a few different ways of story telling and some of it might turn out pretty cool!

For the doc we've got three very different looks that we're combining together:

An HD Cam for the glossy operating room, doctor's office interviews.
A high caliber standard def cam to capture the natural look of our interview subjects.
A Flip HD Cam for the "P.O.V." shots from Rene and I.

And even though it feels like this is all getting tossed together by the seat of our pants I really think this doc is coming together.

The Wiggy Webs stuff, even though it is woefully stuck in edit hell, has me really excited! With the commentary pieces, satire and straight up schtick it's the most exciting outlet that we haven't taken full advantage of yet. I'm re-affirming my efforts to get that stuff up - seeing as how I'm four months behind. I'm ashamed of myself.

Cheerleaders Must Die! - A long time back & forth between turn around and production, but still Zeke is making great script alterations and there's a wave of support growing under it and that's awesome.

And, on the geek front, our D&D game is evolving for the better. My buddy Dean was added to the group about a year ago and since then he has challenged some of my ideas about how to play. I now feel like we are just building a fantasy story and I'm planning my participation to help contribute to that. I don't feel like I can explain that very well here, but the important detail is that even this game is a version of storytelling and it is getting better as I work.

They say work breeds more work and I'm noticing it even if it isn't directly involved in the kind of work that pays me I'm still getting paid in satisfaction.

Brain is turning to toothpaste so I'll...

See you tomorrow!

I'm Featured on The Shmimcast!

2011-04-06T23:58:00.000-07:00

Quick post to point you to episode #5 of Shmimcast, the podcast all about Improv Shmimprov! You can get it in iTunes and here: www.ShmimCast.com

If you're a fan of Improv Shmimprov then these are great podcasts about how the show got started and insights into the players. For people new to Shmimprov it might be a little too inside baseball, but I think it's still worth a listen.

Oh, and the whole reason why I'm plugging this is because I'm featured on episode 5! At least check out that one.

And come to a live Shmimprov show: www.improvshmimprov.com.

See you tomorrow!

Mobile Blog: Paying a Visit to the Restaurant

2011-04-04T21:21:00.001-07:00

I actually have a new blog sitting on the ol' netbook at home that is all about creativity but it is... incomplete. I was going to finish it tonight, but today has been a long day of interviews & production meetings & traffic. By the time I got home I had the energy to walk & feed the dog.

I got nuthin' but excuses, & this quick mobile blog from the bar at Nieuport 17, where Rene is now working. It is a great restaurant, over 40 years in business. A mix of fine dining & history. I'd post photographs but I have no idea if I can do that via the "mobile blooging" method. I'll have to do a different blog with pictures later.

Anyway, I'm going to enjoy a beer & then sleep. Have a great night.

See you tomorrow!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Mobile Blog: OMG! I'm Exhausted But Can't Sleep

2011-03-31T01:39:00.000-07:00

It's 1:35am. Today has been a lot of work with a small couple of hours where I hit the gym & got a massage. Haven't had a massage since the wedding & it was awesome!

I'm listening to the WTF podcast & drinking Miller Lite trying to get sleepy. It's not working.

I'm going to irresponsibly read & try to do more work until my eyes close.

See you tomorrow!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Frankie the Wonder Dog in The Fists of Furry!

2011-03-28T01:07:00.000-07:00

Rene bears the brunt of the abuse in the Andersen household through no fault of her own. The abuse I speak of is from our darling dog child Frankie and this abuse happens in the night as we sleep.

Frankie sleeps in the bed with us. This is not creepy or bad dog parenting. If you have a problem with it I don't care. Normally this is fine, he sleeps, we sleep and sleep is had by all, but there are times - lately more than normal - where he has a nightmare or stretches and his little paws go flying and they tend to fly right into Rene's back or face. There has even been a time or two when a paw will end up in her mouth - these times are particularly unpleasant. Rene told me about her ordeal and politely asked to switch sides with me in bed to help her get some sleep. I agreed, because I want to be a good husband.

That night Frankie jumped into bed with us and slept on the side I was on, just as Rene had hoped. The first few hours must have gone fine, since I slept through them, but then Frankie had a nightmare and I awoke to the quick repetitive pounding of Frankie paws into my back as he "dream ran" chasing or running from whatever dogs dream about. I was able to adjust so that Frankie was no longer doing his impression of Bruce Lee into my back and I fell back to sleep.

A few hours later I was shocked awake by another attack - this time to the face! His front paws whapped into my head like it was a bongo drum in Matthew McConaughey's house. In my horror I opened my mouth which was promptly filled with a Frankie paw. I was forced to grab him and flip him over so that his paws would be facing the other way. That got me through the night.

The next day I could sympathize more with Rene's plight, and she appreciated that. I agreed to bear the burden of the offending side of the bed where Frankie prefers to sleep...

...Unfortunately for Rene once he figured out that she was going to stay on the other side he decided that he likes sleeping by his mother more, so her torment has begun again. Rene has started taking eight different kinds of kung-fu so that she can defend herself. I'll keep you updated with her progress.

See you tomorrow!

There's Only One Space?

2011-03-17T23:55:00.000-07:00

I just heard, through a friend so I haven't verified it yet, that the MLA - the folks responsible for English language grammar - have changed the number of spaces after a period from two to one.

I did not know this.

I've always thought that it was funny that my Blackberry, when the space bar is tapped twice, automatically adds a period and then only skipped one space and not two, but didn't delve too far into it. I just figured it was a text space saver. But now my mind is mildly blown! Even just now - just now - I still put two spaces after a period! I can't stop!!!!!

Can anyone confirm this for me? Do I need to change my writing habits?

Also, check out my recent eBays auctions. Here's a picture of the detail of Thor's hammer from one of the lots:

Bid lots!

See you tomorrow!

Mobile Blog: Feeling Awkward

2011-03-14T22:57:00.001-07:00

For the last couple days, since the Japanese earth quake, tsunami, nuclear reactor problems & volcano I have tried to write - anything - & keep coming up with nothing. I just don't feel like it's ok to write about my "first world" problems or things that I think are funny or even script things that kind of really need to be done. They just won't come out.

It got me thinking about disasters, which is kind of morbid, & I checked my memory to see what I did when Katrina hit. There was no Twitter then, at least not for me, & MySpace was a different kind of thing. I remember going "radio silence" for a while, but not really anything else. Now, with a place that I feel a personal connection to in a great deal of trouble, I really don't know what to do.

There are places you can donate to, like the Red Cross www.redcross.org or Unicef www.unicef.org, and you can even do it from your mobile phone text "RED CROSS" to 90999 & $10 goes to help - but beyond money it doesn't seem like there's anything else I can, or anyone, can do if they aren't in country with heavy equipment.

I'm putting this out to do what I can in the small way that I can. This disaster isn't going away any time soon. New Orleans is still recovering from Katrina, Haiti is still falling apart and, even though the Japanese are very effective, it will probably take years before things get back to "normal". I hope that all these places remain in your thoughts even when the media coverage ends.

See you tomorrow.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Inspired By Hipsters

2011-03-09T23:56:00.000-08:00

Rene and I had lunch in the Max Bloom's Cafe Noir today based on a recommendation from our friend Peter James Smith about their grilled cheese sandwiches. It's right in the heart of Downtown Fullerton and I've passed it several times but never actually stopped in or even really noticed that there was even a cafe there. Technically it is a coffee shop that serves food, but that is hardly a bad thing. It is something that I like to call a "Hipster Haven," a place where things are cool for the sake of being cool and the folks who frequent it are the kind of folks that "get it." Bloom's totally fits the bill. The 40's noir theme is wonderfully executed across the board right down to a faux radio cover for the air-conditioning box. As soon as we walked in we noticed two things: 1) it was as quiet as a library and 2) everyone had Apple Power Books (the Hipster accessory of choice). We felt a bit out of place.

I used to wonder if I would ever be a hipster. I like obscure things, there was a time when "I liked things before they were cool" and I pride myself on "getting" things but I can't grow facial hair (it's physically impossible), I don't wear glasses and I never wore vintage clothes. It's a bit of a toss-up. Being in the cafe today kinda' confirmed for me that I'm a bit past the point where I could reasonably be a Hipster. Regardless of my personal "hipster-dom" and for how quiet the cafe was, the food was great! We got the grilled cheese with provolone, tomato and pesto with a side of pasta salad and "classic soda." I got the Faygo Root Beer (a drink that until today I thought was bottled by and for Juggalos) and Rene got a classic ginger ale. Both were delicious! The real draw for me, though, is the decor. between the 40's music playing in the back ground and "Max Bloom's Desk" in the corner there is plenty of eye candy to occupy your whole meal. If you need a cup of joe or a bowl of soup and you don't mind a taste of hipster then I highly recommend Max Bloom's Noir Cafe.

See you tomorrow!

Mobile Blog: Absence of Public Writing

2011-03-08T22:34:00.001-08:00

I'm literally writing this blog in line for the In-N-Out drive thru, it's worth the wait, because it's the only time I have that isn't dedicated to something else.

I started this blog in order to maintain a daily writing habit & even though I haven't been publically writing here I have been writing daily for the documentary & other projects.

For some reason I feel like I need to justify the fact that I haven't been blogging, but I doubt that it is a concern for you, my loyal readers. I haven't even been Tweeting as often. I don't feel a need to make a public spectacle of myself, but as I've seen the Charlie Sheen melt down I have felt like there should be more "sanity" in the twitter-verse.

Well, gonna' go.

See you tomorrow!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Mobile Blog: Feeling Weird

2011-02-24T19:09:00.001-08:00

I was just reading the news on my Twitter feed and it has been a strange day. Things are going well for René & myself, but if feels like the world is going a little nuts.

Yay for revolution in the Middle East & North Africa, but the situation in Lybia seems really tense. I saw earlier that Gadhafi might be dead but at the time it wasn't confirmed & I haven't seen anything since & now it looks like there's going to be "international response" & that sounds like code for "military response" to me.

I just read about all the Charlie Sheen/"2 & A Half Men" crap and, say what you will about Sheen, this sucks for so many people. A TV show is the livelihood for a lot of people, hundreds per show, and to see CBS shut down production will be devastating to all the crew. I just hope they were all told before the press release was sent out.

And to top it all off Don Knotts died today!

Weird day.

See you tomorrow.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

It's Late: A Blog of Exhaustion That I Hoped Was Delirium

2011-02-20T23:29:00.000-08:00

It's only 11:18pm but it feels much later and I guess that means that I'd either working hard or getting old.

It's probably a combination of both.

I found a new blue pen. I lost one of my blue pens and it wasn't a great pen, but I have a real co plex about losing things even if they suck. I once search for over two years (for real, that's not hyperbole) for a tool kit that I had every reason to believe was thrown away. I did find it, by the way. It was in storage. So I lost this crappy blue pen and it torqued me, but I found a new blue pen and it's better than the pen I lost, so I guess that's a decent trade!

I'm re-writing my D&D character sheet tonight on high caliber paper because the old sheet is old and starting to wear through. I'm hoping the new paper, a card stock, will hold up a little bit better.

Rene's birthday is tomorrow (Monday the 21st) so I hope you'll wish her a happy birthday on her Twitter Feed. Here's a picture from her in the show "The Book f Liz" at The Costa Mesa Playhouse:

To bed!

See you tomorrow!

Mobile Blog: Commutes Kill

2011-02-18T23:49:00.000-08:00

I'm writing this mobile blog from the couch. I'm so tired & mentally drained that I couldn't muster the will to get off the couch & write this blog on my netbook.

I had high hopes for the day too! I was going to write, make some lists, catch-up on a bunch of things that I haven't had time the rest of the week to do, but I had a commute from L.A. today that took more than twice as long as normal so by the time I got home I was exhausted & mentally drained & haven't gotten the spirit up to do mich more than walk the dog & eat. And watch some T.V. And read a little.

Still, it ain't much.

Now I'm feeling lazy & guilty so I'm going to try & do things.

See you tomorrow!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Reading List

2011-02-17T11:11:00.000-08:00

I've been a poor reader and I've been a poor reader for years. It's embarrassing and as a person who makes his living by the written word in one way or another to be this bad and behind.

There are scripts that I should have read months ago, re-writes I should be doing and even my lag on this blog - all of it evidence of my lack of discipline. But the secret shame I've carried with me, the shame that has lasted since 1996, are well displayed in our reading room on a shelf - a series of classic books that I bought so I look "sophisticated and well read" but I've never actually read. It's a flagrant display of douche-baggery.

Last night I made the choice to actually read these books, and to catch up on my lapsed reading. The scripts, of which there are four, shouldn't be too bad (although one of them is a play & I don't remember why I was supossed to read it) but the book that I'm starting with I'm actually pretty excited about: "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac!

I've always been attracted to this book, but I've never really known why. I don't know much about the Beat Generation, I managed to completely ignore a report I was supposed to do on him in high school (sorry Mrs. Sweet!) and the most I ever learned about Kerouac was provided by an episode of "Quantum Leap". Even with that deficit of knowledge this book has always "spoken" to me and I hadn't read a page - until last night! I was shocked at how much I'm connecting with the material! If the rest of my library has this kind of effect then I should REALLY kick myself for waiting so long...

...although it is possible that I would not have gotten as much out of the reading back in my early twenties.

I was a bit of a shit in my twenties.

Back to the books!

See you tomorrow!

It's Only 11:19am and Already We've Averted Disaster

2011-02-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

At 9:35am we lost our shooting location for today.

Zeke gave me a call, we needed a new location and everyone was working on it.

I leapt to action, had three different people working on finding new locations, had eleven different possibilities by 10:15 am and by 10:45am was told that the weather cleared enough for the shoot to happen at the original location.

It's moments like this that give a production team a chance to shine. We do not have an unlimited production budget or even a definite time slot, but it all came together and, if we needed it, we had several options for a new location is just over an hour.

People often ask me what the job of "producer" entails. Usually I say that the producer builds the team that makes the movie, but when it comes down to the nitty-gritty a producer is there to put out fires as they pop up on production.

This morning I was a fireman.

See you tomorrow!

Good Day. Shooting Day. Creative Day.

2011-02-15T23:55:00.000-08:00

Today was a good day.

It wasn't particularly extraordinary, but it was a good day.

Today was the first day of shooting for "Enter the Wolf", the show that we sold to Syfy, and Zeke was our man on the set. I stopped by to check in and everybody, the crew, cast - everybody - were great! I'm very excited to see how the rest of the week goes.

I was also doing a bunch of scheduling and paperwork for the documentary today. That's more of an experience than something that is interesting to write about, but it did take up a good portion of my day.

The thing that made the day truly "good" though was that I felt creative today - still do actually. I had inspiration to write and images and new ideas popped into my head and I suddenly had a need to be in a book store. Or a cafe with coffee and cheesecake. Or a piano lounge in New York. Or Tokyo. Some place with atmosphere where I could pop open my Moleskine and jot ideas or a story or build the site map for the re-design of CurtisAndersen.com (which is what I ended up doing).

I have so many ideas flowing through my head that it's actually hard to concentrate. I'm listening to the Creative Screenwriting podcast right now so that my brain can focus as I write this. Still I really want to get the ideas out.

I had a new idea for a novel today. I'm trying to decide if I want to hand write it or type it. I should also probably try and find out when I could make the time to write it.

These bouts of inspiration usually come when a win hits, and even though the Syfy show could still implode it's still a pretty good win!

Today's picture is of Hollywood & Highland when I was traveling between my two destinations today. I'm hoping to make it to set again tomorrow so that I can post some behind the scenes pics on the Wiggy Blog tomorrow.

See you tomorrow!

Super Bowl Sunday for a Non-Super Bowl Guy

2011-02-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

You know what a guy like me does with a Sunday where a major sporting event keeps most kinds of business from getting done? You do all the other stuff you'd usually ignore while you're working. Today will be all about cleaning, laundry, washing the dog, organization, tax prep and God knows what else I'll have time for.

Is that too personal? Maybe, but I'm really enjoying having the time to myself.

Not sure what picture to use, maybe this one:

See you tomorrow!

A Week in Re-Cap - But only One Picture

2011-02-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Really I could talk about a lot more than a week, but I'll try and keep it centered around the last week's worth of events - unless I ramble and start talking about other things too. We've been busy lately! Shooting for the documentary has ramped up and the next six to eight weeks are going t be packed! Today I get to purchase my doctorate. Still debating whether or not I'm going to be a doctor in gravy or pick a better "specialty."

OK, I was trying to write about other things but there's really only one thing I've wanted to write about for the last few days - GO-KART RACING!

I love my job! We have business meetings in the best places and last week we had one at a K1 Speedway in Gardena. Open racing, Chinese food and a healthy dose of manly competition (even the women were feeling manly)! A friend of ours was having an event for the pre-production of their new film "Super Go" which is about, you guessed it, go-kart racing. I've been indoor go-kart racing before, but I have to give it up to K1 - who is not endorsing me - for a pretty killer time. The karts were smooth and quick, they took a surprising amount of punishment (all unintentional, of course) and
all done with electric motors! Here's a view from my kart before the start:

Since it was a private party they weren't really keeping great stats, but I'm pretty confident that, even if I wasn't winning a lot, I was a top racer.

When we were done I felt like I'd just played Grand Theft Auto for eight or nine hours straight. I had to cool off before I felt safe getting back in my own car and even when I did it felt very different to drive a real car again. Zeke said we should just make movies about go-karts from now on so that we can have an excuse to race more. I can't argue that, it's a good idea

Off to shoot more movie stuff!

See you tomorrow!

Sundance Wrap-Up and What's Up for February

2011-01-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

We are BACK!

Sundance was amazing this year and incredibly busy! This is where I apologize for not keeping up with the daily blogging - but if you were paying attention to my Twitter Feed then you had a pretty good idea of what was going on. If not, here's the brief rundown in bullet points:

Arrived and enjoyed some of Park City's finest beers and Mexican food.
Went to a LOT of industry mixers and mixed with some of our favorite, & new favorite, industry people.
Saw mostly good movies (Brick Novax's Diary, Babyland, Benavides Born, Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of Toynbee Tiles & Here) & one crappy one (Vampire. Seriously, avoid this one.).
Found out I'm still pretty famous in Utah form just 2 things: Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Mary-Kate & Ashley Olson's Winning London.
Missed a party that I really think I would have enjoyed, but happy that we didn't get the food poisoning that a few of the attendees got.
Left Park City on one of the most beautiful days of the trip.

I was also introduced to a new production tool called doddle. It's a program and app that helps production run smoother - specifically when you need a call sheet. Check out the link above to see a demo, but I'll be writing up about it more on the Wiggy Blog.

As far as what's coming up in February - it's all production and Wiggy Webs!

We're getting into the filming part of our documentary and that is VERY exciting, but as far as things you can watch you'll have to check out Wiggy Webs! Feb. 7th will launch the first of the new programs on our channel so I hope you'll check that out.

See you tomorrow!

Mobile Blog: Sundance 2011: Day 1

2011-01-21T23:01:00.001-08:00

Travel days are always a bit stressful, especially when you're traveling on about three hours of sleep, but this year's trip started off pretty well. Once we were actually awake & on our way, there were no delays & we even had time to get breakfast at the airport - which was surprisingly good!

The flight was quick, left on time & arrived on time & all of our luggage was safe & showed up in the same place we did!

Even though we failed to make a reservation for a shuttle from the airport, we were able to get one with no hassle and even the trip between Salt Lake & Park City seemed to go by faster.

The only real hiccup was when we tried to get our credentials, but that was totally on us for not reading our confirmation. Once we were in the right building we were served quickly and well.

We've had great conversations with locals, volunteers & other film makers and have had some great food!

If the rest of the trip stays this good we might not be able to come next year for fear of it not living up to this trip!

Here's hoping.

See you tomorrow!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Mobile Blog: So Much to Do... So Much to Do...

2011-01-19T23:32:00.001-08:00

House ready for house sitter - Check!

Laundry done - Check!

Printing confirmations - Being done.

Being in production & planning for a trip is a lot of work. It's good work, but it is exhausting. My creativity has been utilized in ways that I'm not totally used to now putting out fires & managing time lines versus making up stories & managing plots. It has changed how I relate to time.

I have had a lot of conversations in varying degrees of seriousness with people older than me where we've talked about how the way one perceives time as you get older changes with your level of responsibility & number of commitments. I feel like I am starting to really experience this - & time is flying!

I need to go now, more shit to do.

See you tomorrow!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®