Unpacking from Convention Jaunts and Returning to Filing

I'm still coping with a travel cold. (I don't think I caught it from anyone at the convention, though a buddy pointed out that little sleep for a week just might have left me with my immune system slightly tweaked.)

But, even staggering around a bit, I'm able to do a few of the post-show chores that will make life better. Laundry, for example, is done (except for the partial box thereof that will arrive on the pallet with Convention Stuff before much longer). And I suddenly realized that I'd acquired a bunch of DVDs in a jaunt to Madison, Wis., the Friday before Con Week.

Madison, you see, is home to Four Star Video, a marvelous rental facility that prunes its stock and sells those cullings for $15 a DVD -- and, when you're a Gold Card member (as am I), you get them for roughly $10 a DVD. So I lolled about, pampering myself watching Season One of Eureka (recommended by my brother), yesterday and today, as I nursed my cold. And then it occurred to me that I might have other DVDs I hadn't checked out. What to my wondering eyes should appear but the following movies:

Charlie Wilson's War (2008, 1:42), The Corporation (2004, 2:25), Dan in Real Life (200X, 1:38), The Darjeeling Limited (2007, 1:31), The Golden Compass (2007, 1:53), The Jane Austen Book Club (2007, 1:46), Jumper (2008, 1:28), National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (200X, 2:05), The Orphanage (2007, 1:45), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008, 1:55), Revolver (2005, 1:44), Sleuth (2007, 1:29), Sweeny Todd (2007, 1:56)

Then, there are the TV shows, each except Blue Murder at those $10 prices:

Blue Murder (1995, 3:17, $20), George Carlin: Doin' It Again (1990, 1:00), George Carlin: What Am I Doing in New Jersey? (1988, :58), Invisible Man Season One (1950s, 5:30), The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch (2002, :56)

And, at Half Price Books:

The Comeback (2006, 6:30, $15) and Unscripted (2005, 5:00, $10)

And, ordered from Amazon (so there were a variety of discounts but not used copies):

Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966, 1:24), Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965, 1:23), Burn Notice Season One (2007, 8:52), Eureka Season One (2007, 9:18), The Closer Season One (2005, 10:02)

Looks as if I'll have something more to watch while I get over this cold. (By the way, an ongoing annoying facet of prerecorded material from the Disney organization is its policy of avoiding identification of copyright date for its releases. Yes, I could check it on iMDB, but geez.)

How about yourself? What movies and shows would you buy for $10 each?

Read more...

Super-Phone isn't letting me post here

That's why no post yesterday. I assure you, yesterday's post was brilliant -- brilliant, I say. There was wisdom therein that could have changed the lives of all readers.

Or maybe it was just nattering on how I'd had a terrific day in New York City, capped by an interview with DC Comics' Zuda team. (Video will eventually be online at CBGXtra. Stay tunred.)

It continues to be frustrating that, after I've blogged via SuperPhone, I get a red-lettered note that saying something like, "Entry Is Needed." And then the entire entry disappears. Sigh. Dunno if it's the phone or this site. I can e-mail via the Internet just fine. But blogging? Not as simple.

Plans for today: Into the city again. I'll see whether I can get press credentials at the Javits Center this morning (probably not -- and it'll be a hike back to civilization, since shuttle busses won't be running). Target is to meet Patty Jeres at the Blue Fin restaurant at 1537 Broadway (212) 918-1400 at 12:30 p.m. Hoping to contact Carolyn Kelly to join us there. We shall see.

Then, a quick 4:30 meeting with Michael Uslan, if all goes as planned -- and then a hike back to Grand Central Station for the trip home. Cold is (sniffle) getting better, following massive infusions of Vitamin C. Can you tell that this blog has become a boring account I'm using more for my own purposes? Apologies. But, oh, that yesterday post you never saw ...

Read more...

The New York Comicon is coming, and I...

.. have a sore throat?

Noooooooooooo!

So I'm pounding down Vitamin C and getting adequate sleep and all. But sharing a house with a grandson with a cold? Well, there's just so much self-immunizing one can do.

In the meantime, it looks as if today's noblest goal will be to get laundry done. Dang!

Read more...

Enchanting!

Since it begins to look as if a visit to Fred Kida is not going to happen, a large chunk of yesterday was spent lolling about in family entertainment. So I watched a terrific mystery movie, Green for Danger, with brother Paul and son-in-law Zander yesterday afternoon and the recent Disney release Enchanted with daughter Valerie and Zander yesterday evening.

Both were successes with the new audiences, so let me suggest both for your own viewing.

Green for Danger made a star out of its detective -- Alistair Sim -- and the script sparkles. Moreover, the mystery is fair and solvable -- and Zander noted and solved several bits in advance of The Big Reveal. See if your local library can find a copy for you.

I've had several people indicate surprise at my enthusiastic recommendations of Enchanted, but the delights of a Disney satire on its own film library and approaches to storytelling are many and rewarding. I gather the BluRay release is packed with more "footnotes" to elements of the film, and I'll add this to my shopping list when I finally go shopping for a player.

Read more...

Well, THAT Wasn't as Simple as I'd Hoped

Up and dazed this morning, after being up 22 hours coping with delayed and canceled flights. Long story short: fog in Milwaukee and bad weather elsewhere. Still, I'm fond of the Milwaukee airport (the terminal bookstore is Renaissance Books, which stocks used books; what can I say?), and it was tiring but not horrible.

Still, all attempts to post from my phone (and I made several tries) failed. Sigh. Let's hope it's more cooperative at the upcoming NYC comics convention.

And the experience stands as a warning about summer conventions: If you're traveling by air, you might want to consider giving yourself lots of leeway, so that you can smile and adjust rather than snarl at the poor souls at the gate, who had nothing to do with the fix you're in. (I told one of those staffers, "I wouldn't have your job for a squillion dollars." She responded, "I'm eligible for early retirement, and I'm seriously considering it.")

It would be nice if whoever handles the assortment of announcement boards (which are well set up and well placed throughout the Milwaukee airport) were a little more clued-in, though. I noticed that the Flight 15 I was scheduled to take out of Milwaukee was listed on the Arrivals Board as "On Time," but that it was (a) already past the time it should have arrived and (b) given as "Delayed" on the Departures Board.

I was lucky that my situation was not even particularly urgent -- which is why I'm hoping we can all plan ahead for con season. It's one thing to be six hours delayed in arriving in NYC when you're just aiming for a pleasant family weekend; it's quite another to miss a panel with your favorite artist because you're stranded in Chicago.

Read more...

Crossing my fingers...

I've checked multiple times with the Midwest Airlines website, and it continues to assure me that the flights I'll be on today are On Time. So today's schedule puts me on airplanes to New York City one full week before the New York Comic-Con. This lets me hang out with family over the weekend and (fingers crossed again) see whether it'll be possible for me to visit artist Ed Kida, whose "Airboy" stories were so captivating from Hillman. (Not to downplay his other work, but I thought Airboy was especially keen.)

Part of the challenge of this trip is coordinating NYC activities pre-con. Thursday is already getting nicely booked; we'll see whether hopes of doing videos with comics people earlier in the week come to anything. It's a two-hour commute between daughter Valerie's home and Grand Central Station, so I won't make it on a whim. But it's certainly worth the effort, if I can come up with news and views. (The Karen Berger video interview on CBGXtra.com was done pre-con last year, for example.)

The dishwasher is chugging away, the trash has been set out for garbage pickup, and now it's back to packing.

Read more...