Comic-Con Saturday 2007

Steve was able to get off work and come down to Comic-Con late Friday night. We hung out, tooled the Exhibit Hall Saturday and were exhausted every evening.

We did get to see the fantastic Heroes panel with surprising clips, and the "Women of Battlestar Galactica" panel (Lucy Lawless is coming back, BTW), though no one recognized Steve's tattoo. However, the Diamond booth had a Sam figure (Starbuck's husband) on display, and there's something super cool about seeing your unique tattoo also on an action figure. Fun.

But the highlight?
Yep, that's Erin Moran, Joanie from Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi posing next to me in my "Joanie Loves Tchotchkies" shirt.

I'm thinking there's a Christmas card in here somewhere...

Nephew and niece up visiting. We're going to the water park today. More blogging soon.

Comic-Con Thursday 2007

I’ve been coming to Comic-Con for 22 years (surprising, considering my obvious youth) and the show continues to grow. The giant convention center is primarily filled with meeting rooms upstairs where you learn about the latest comics, shows, movies, games, etc., or debate subjects like who would win in a fight: the starship Enterprise or Captain Jack’s ship, The Black Pearl, from Pirates of the Caribbean (Kidding. Kind of. That stuff happens at smaller comic conventions. At Comic-Con you debate about how web-based comics will or will not change the industry. Very highbrow.)

Besides, The Black Pearl (as you can see) crashed in the Exhibit Hall.

Speaking of… The Exhibit Hall on the main floor is a main draw, full of companies covering everything from comic books, science fiction, horror, fantasy, Japanese anime, manga, toys, video games, role playing games and, well, everything in between. You got big companies like DC & Marvel, movie studios like Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros (showing off this snazzy Mach 5 from the Speed Racer movie) and more.

Lots of independent guys show off their art, independent comic guys self-publishing, fantasy illustrators and more….

One day down at Comic-Con and I’m already exhausted.

But here’s a cool thing they did at Lucas Arts (Star Wars) this year, which is the mega booth for all things (and companies handling) Star Wars. They had artists decorate Darth Vador masks. This is my favorite in the bunch.

Huge amounts of fans flooding through, and for someone like me who has attended this long, a lot of my time is spent connecting with friends. I got to see my niece Mikayla, who was out visiting from Texas. Yeah, we saw one another at the baptism last week, but when you’re at Con you can geek out with them and have more fun. Corrupting our youth, as I like to call it.

After the show I had dinner with writers Alonso Duralde and Dave White. Ironic that it’s easier to have dinner with the boys here in San Diego than it is when we’re all in LA. Anyway, we had fun talking shop, complaining about selling our next books, and all the crap that goes with it. Alonso is keeping a blog about the show over at Advocate.com if you’re interested.

Finally, the night rounded out having cocktails with Pam Buck, former B.D. Banzai of anime fame from many years ago. We all used to do these underground cartoons and she realized this was our 20th anniversary for meeting. I was 15 back then, unable to drink (legally) so we decided to toast our friendship at the Top of the Hyatt, the Manchester Grand Hyatt’s bar on the 40th floor overlooking San Diego harbor. Beautiful location for Pam, her husband Alec, and I to just kick it and remenisce.

Good news? It looks like Steve will be able to come down tonight!

More news (and pics) later…

Comic-Con 2007 Message #3: Battlestar Galactica & Steve's Birthday

What do you do when your boyfriend's birthday coincides with Comic-Con AND you're both big geeks?

Get him a unique tattoo from Battlestar Galactica!

Yes, my friends, that tatt you see on Steve's left forearm is the same tattoo as Starbuck and Sam have on Battlestar. And what makes it even cooler is that whether or not people watch the show, they all say how amazingly cool this tatt is.

Back story: Steve wanted a new tattoo, I knew he wanted that one, so I found some images that Steve could use to create the likeness and I took him to the tattoo shop as a surprise; yes, I did this two weeks ago so that his tattoo would be ready to show off during Comic-Con weekend.

Steve has it on his forearm instead of his bicep-- as they do in the show-- because both of his shoulders have tattoos and it wouldn't work there.

And no, I don't have a matching "wedding ring" (which is what it is in the show) but that's because I don't have any body art yet, and at 35 I worry my getting one will just be another of my mid-life crisis.

I leave really early tomorrow for the show, and hopefully Steve will be able to make it this year.

I'll try to have updates as the weekend progresses.

What's Up With Mondo-Ricko

The blog is back up! Hurray!

I'll post one thing tonight before I leave for Comic-Con in San Diego (hopefully).
R

Comic-Con 2007 Message #2: Shirts & Buffy Slay-Athon

When attending the convention, make sure you wear snazzy shirts that show everyone just how cool you are.
This is my friend Karen from high school, showing off her ta-tas in a fabulous Joanie Loves Tchotchkies shirt!
And this is my friend Mark, who just got his "Roslin For President" Battlestar Galactica shirt. In case you're wondering, Steve, myself, Pam Buck, our friend Matt and others will be donning our geeky Roslin For President shirts Saturday at Comic-Con in celebration of the "Women of BSG" panel that is happening that day. (Sadly, Mark will not be there.) Hopefully Mary McDonnell will wear hers. She supposedly got the ones we sent her way.

On a side note, our Xanadude shirts are hot and selling amazingly well! But what do we have for women fans of Xanadu?
Why a collection of super cute shirts with Olivia Newton John's famous quote, "I'm a muse!" on the front.

On the back of the shirt, you'll find our version of the movie logo. Lots of styles to choose from! If you're interested in seeing the same thing on a boy's T, send me a note and I can have it uploaded within a day.

Finally, if you supported our friend Dave for his Buffy Slay-Athon helping Make A Wish Foundation, he needs to know. It seems the Foundation's site screwed up and there are people who made donations but they don't know who to credit for the cash.

Likewise, he wants to send thank you cards. Thoughtful, isn't he?

And if you haven't sent in a donation but want to, hit him up at davidb71@gmail.com. Thanks!

Comic-Con 2007 Message #1: From My Niece

Always wear a fetching outfit.

Comic-Con 2007 is this weekend. I'll leave LA horribly early Thursday morning because Steve's birthday is Wednesday night. While in San Diego, I'll be conducting various interviews for the convention magazine. Should be fun. Perhaps I'll even network.

I hope I find something equally cool to wear like my niece did while we were visiting this past weekend in San Diego.

One can only hope.

Relative Insanity: Another (and probably the last) Baptism

Our nephew, Jacob Henry Cotter, was baptised today in San Diego.

This is him on the left. Cute much?

Steve had to work because he's doing a ton of line reviews-- meaning that he and his coworkers have to show all their designs to the higher ups who either approve or shoot down their work for upcoming seasons. So he missed the event.

So you're not confused, and since the whole Andreoli clan is in town for the next few days, here's the tree:

MOM
Mike (oldest brother), Elvira (his wife)
Joseph & Maria Pilar (their kids)

Mary Martha (oldest sister), Gary (her husband)
Louise (their daughter)

Joane (middle sister), Mike (her husband)
Brianne and Mikayla (their kids)

Eileen (youngest sister), John (her husband)
Haylee, Savannah, Jacob Henry (their kids)

Steve and me - The Favorite Guncles

Jacob (Eileen and John's baby) was super good, not crying throughout the entire ceremony.

My sister's friend, Tall Mary, was the godmother (so named "Tall Mary" because my mom and sister are also named Mary, and my sister Eileen needed a name that wouldn't confuse my nieces. And... she's REALLY tall.)

Joseph (Mike and Elvira's son) was the godfather.

It was a ton of fun, with my brother (Mike) and his family from Florida in town. Mike and I have similar senses of humor, so it was a lot of us tossing really horrible jokes back and forth.

Mom was not amused (although secretly I think she was, seeing her family hanging out and having such a good time together).
Here we all are. It was sad that Steve couldn't be here but between Comic-Con next week, plus Joseph and Maria Pilar visiting after that, I think we'll have our fill.

2007 Outfest Fun, Celeb Sightings, and more...

Outfest is this big gay film festival in LA. Every year they feature some great movies, some bad ones, fun parties (and some lame ones), and other cool events worth hitting. Steve and I started dating around Outfest time six years ago, so it always holds a special little place for us. Here's what's happened thus far...

On Sunday we attended the Straight Boys shorts screening. Our friend, Dave Snyder (between myself and adorable actor David Monahan) who shot the TV Land special "Tickled Pink," screened his short film, Yeah No Definitely.

Short films can be horrible, and you're usually stuck in the front row where your filmmaker friend can see you, sitting there with a bored, itchy butt and a desperate need to sleep, leave, have a cocktail or all of the above.

Fortunately, there were some amazing selections in this batch so none of that annoyance hit.

We then attended the "Meet the Filmmakers" pool party, hosted by friends Dan Jinks & Bruce Cohen (American Beauty) and the couple who owned the house (forgiveness, owners, but I lost the invite and we never met).

I didn't see any gay mafia, but we did hang out with Q. Allan Brocka, creator of Rick & Steve, the Happiest Gay Couple in the World.

You can watch episodes of his hilarious show on Logo, but if you don't get the channel (like we don't with Dish Network) then check out episodes on i-Tunes. If you do that, leave lovely comments. It will help Allan get a second season ordered!

Also in attendance was the slightly insane but ever-lovable, J.D. Disalvatore.

She produced Shelter, which we're seeing Wednesday (tonight) under the stars at the Ford Amphitheater.

Last night, Steve was stuck working while I escorted actor/comic Vincent Fordyce and Eligah to The Frank DeCaro Show OutQ-at-Outfest Cocktail Party.

Frank was also in the TV Land special with me, and he's a hilarious host on the Sirius cable radio network.

I'm friendly with Frank, friends with Doria Biddle (Frank's co-host, and the woman who somehow knows everyone in my life and yet we are constantly surprised by the connections) and Jim Colucci, author of The Q Guide to the Golden Girls (Pop Culture Out There Guide) and Frank's partner.

Here Jim and I are on the left, looking quite fetching.


And speaking of fetching, Doria and I look lovely, don't we?

Our shirts are tight and show off our cleavage.




And speaking of cleavage, JD was working every event this year. Here she is with some smokin' hot woman.

I know I should know who this woman is. We've met. I think we may have even worked together or have mutual friends. But for the life of me I can't make the connection.

Thanks to Doria who sent me this IM: "The smoking hot woman is Cathy DeBuono, star of Out at the Wedding." Thanks Doria!

Anyway, here she is with JD.


I was thrilled to run into John Carrozza and Doug Prinzivalli, producers of the sexy thriller Socket. Socket was written and directed by my friend Sean Abley, and I didn't realize until recently that there was a connection between Sean and the boys (I should have, if I'd thought about it, but I hadn't).

Anyway, the guys where there plugging their movie (forgive me) as well as their pilot for Screening Party, which is based on the lovely Dennis Hensley's book.

These guys are super fun and always make great conversation. Unfortunately, Steve and I will be out of town for my nephew's baptism on Friday, when Socket premiere at Outfest, but go if you can make it! Or check out the Socket trailer and track this film. It looks HOT!

Also in attendance was comic, Jason Stuart, another name from the "Tickled Pink" show. But more than that, Jason is a huge openly gay actor and a true talent.

Vincent and he had met before (as have Jason and I) so the four of us hung out for much of the night.

Eligah liked hiding in the background. Don't ask me why. I think it has something to do with his security job at LAX.

I managed to sneak in one group photo with Doria (on my left), friend and screen writer John Bernstein whose most recent film was Meet The Robinsons, the hilarious writer Lauren Weedman (Thanks to Doria, again, for the help) who worked on The Daily Show with Frank, and of course, Frank himself.

There's nothing like being around talented folk like this, to make you feel as though you've done nothing successful in your life. Fortunately, these people were all polite enough to buy me a cocktail anyway.

Then Vincent and I slipped into a shot with funny woman and amazing actor, Jane Lynch, alongside comedienne/actor and "I've Got A Secret" panelist Susan Westenhoefer.

Last night was a lot of work! But a lot of good times.

Food Network Star Jag Drama and Kick Off!

I was going to write about Outfest today, but I'll save it because I'm getting many comments on my earlier Food Network posts concerning JAG and his on-camera lies.

The final two winners last night were supposed to be Jag and Rory. But as many of you know, and as I stated on last week's blog, the only way Food Network could save face for lying about his past was by disqualifying him from the competition. Unfortunately, what they did do, was just lame (though it produced the same results).

dull*women*have*immaculate*homes said on my blog comments that she felt this finale was contrived. I totally agree. They finish the episode and then do a very dramatic black screen where they say that Jag lied about his past and didn't admit to the truth. Then they have this "intervention" crap where Jag admits to judges Bob and Susie (not during this image, BTW) what's gone on.

Jag is very heartfelt. He doesn't want to disrespect his fellow marine brothers. He feels horrible (turn head, wink wink, look pained, furrow brow, sway back in chair)... blah blah blah. Dude! Your acting was worse that a Christian Community Theater Production of Darn Yankees!. It's so obviously been set up, and in that "feel good" way Food Network has always approached this show, they don't actually confront him and hold him accountable. They let him politely pull himself out, then they HUG HIM and wish him well.

Okay, disclaimer time. I am not a gung-ho military dude. But three of my brothers-in-law have services in the military. Steve's dad served in Vietnam and still bears the scars. Steve's brother served in Iraq (in the Marines) as did many of his friends whom we know, and seeing that first-person sacrifice made the situation much more real for me. No, I don't have to agree with Bush and this war but I know those young men and women are doing a very serious job, many have been killed senselessly while doing it, and ALL OF THEM have just been belittled on national television with one man's lie.

If I'd gone into a pitch meeting, sold a show, and then the execs found out that I'd stolen it from another author, they would have ripped me a new asshole. They would have held me accountable and there would have been some serious beating-- and my stealing a show idea wouldn't have been as significant as lying about serving in the military or defending this country or using those stories to play on public sympathy.

But no. Food Network gives Jag a hug.

Look, I'm not a believer that this show has to be like Top Chef or any exploitive reality program, but at the same time you have to be realistic. God willing they'll do better background checks-- when I wrote about Boy Meets Boy, Project Runway, and chatted with friends who have worked on both Big Brother and Amazing Race I know they do really thorough checking to make sure the person isn't crazy. In this case, everyone's just lucky Jag didn't go off the deep end in an episode. He could have stabbed Giada De Laurentiis when, unlike others on the program, she gave Jag a wake up call and told him to work out whatever his issues were.

I wonder if Food Network would have hugged Jag and said it was okay then. Probably not. Giada gets them huge ratings...

Check out Jag's video where he says, "I ran into some problems with the press." Not "I lied to the press" but "I ran into some problems." And oh my God, when he does that sort of slick winky thing about how he's stepping down to not disrespect his brothers in arms and the Food Network, I call BULLSHIT!

There are a few instances where you think he's about to crack and be honest, but the editors cut out right away. I'd be interested in what happened there. Probably nothing. But maybe he had crazy chef eyes or something that let us know he was insane.

Lize said in my comments that she knew Jag and feels sad because he got in over his head. True enough. But I don't care what your background is, you should have half a brain to know that lying is NOT going to help you out. And if you have even the tiniest understanding of TV and magazines, you should know that the media does background checks. Not even to find dirt, but to make sure they don't get sued for misinformation.

Ironically, you know how we're friends with Paul who was a contestant? He's tight lipped about the whole thing. He says he doesn't want to disrespect Jag or the show and won't say anything. I think that says something huge about Paul's sense of honor.

So now Amy is the finalist, which is good because in truth she deserved it. I purely think the judges kicked her off because they have enough people like her on the air-- likable white women bringing a fancy twist to everyday cuisine. Jag brought a Latin masculinity (and potential new viewers) while Rory hits the down-home side while being sexier than Paula Deen.

Steve and I are voting for Amy because we think we'll follow her show more, but we like Rory as well. But the show itself? Eh... We'll check out the finale to see if there's anything interesting on it (it hasn't been shot yet) but from what we've seen it's doubtful.

Current Reading

THE LION KING

Brother-in-law John, whom I have spoken about many times in this blog, is in Africa. No, he's not redecorating bushes. He's teaching kids and building houses and doing amazingly great stuff.

John is also really smart. He was a lawyer before becoming a marine and now he's an elementary school teacher. He writes very well.

His blog, Adventures in Africa a.k.a. www.spanglerinafrica.blogspot.com is your new MUST READ blog. Check it out, send him love, and let him know you care.

HEY MOVIE FANS!

Author Eric Lichtenfeld, whom I met in my boxing class, has a great book about action movies called Action Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie. They just released a new edition, Eric just sold an article to Salon.com about action movie one-liners, and he even started his own blog! (Known, cleverly, as www.reactionshot.blogspot.com)

I know there's a lot of movie fans reading my blog, and a lot of you are guys (and girls) who love action movies. Eric really knows his stuff-- he's a geek like us, and in the best possible way-- so check out his book and blog and enjoy. I know I am.

BUT YOU GUYS WANT SOME SEX, RIGHT?

My friend Rachel Kann, who I met through The Groundlings (she did my stand-up comedy show years ago and we reconnected through her Gravity class at the YMCA) published her first book of short stories called 10 For Everything.

It's not a porn book, but it is sexy, funny, and a good time. Her words flow gracefully, give credit to the spoken word stuff she's currently doing, and it's also a short read (which I know you lazy people love; now you can look smart by buying books, but not spend your whole summer on just one of them).

Also, if you're in the Cult of MySpace you can join Rachel's friend list there. She also puts together a podcast and after this month's insanity ends, I'm supposed to be a guest. Much fun.

AND WHAT OF THE SHIRTS?

If you can only focus long enough to read one of our shirts, check out this new one... We've made it in both rainbow and basic black. (Example on the right. All shirts come in various styles.) I hope to have a couple more made in time for Comic-Con.

Oh, and I think Steve's getting a new tattoo this weekend in honor of his upcoming birthday. His B-day is on the 25th, but he needs it done by Comic-Con. More on that next week, but let's just say he and I are the biggest geeks you've ever met. Shocker, I know.

Have a great weekend.

Xanadu on Broadway Makes a Huge Splash!

Xanadu officially opened on Broadway Tuesday night to a stunning number of positive reviews. Seriously stunning. Like no one was expecting people to like it, but they did and it could mean that the show will stay on Broadway for a little while. That's super exciting to Steve and myself who have been championing the show for a while and hope to see it again.

Tuesday's opening even saw Olivia Newton-John, the original Kira, in the audience saying how much she loved the show!

Here Olivia is at the curtain call with current Kira, Kerry Butler (all these official photos are from Broadway.com)

Okay, so Hollywood Reporter and New York Post didn't love it. Who cares? "Tuesday's Wednesday!"

Curious to see some stuff? The current issue of Entertainment Weekly with Optimus Prime on the cover (left) has a huge four-page feature. You can check out an interview with the evil muses at Broadway World's site. This Newsday review has some video footage. Broadway World also offers some opening night footage on this link, including ONJ coming on stage.

Here's a photo of Olivia (GOD could she look any more beautiful) alongside cutie Cheyenne Jackson.

BTW, Cheyenne is now donning the requisite short-shorts for the show. Thank God! You can read a great interview with our dreamboat here.

Check this out! Local rag IN Los Angeles featured our shirts as cool stuff you might want to check out and buy.

Our shirts also got a super cool mention on the Xanadu Preservation Society website. This is one of our biggest ego strokes because this site is ground-zero for Xanadu fans.

Remember, if you're a girl Xanadu fan looking for a specific design, let me know.

Speaking of female fans, our friend had a little baby boy on Monday night and that inspired us to make Xanadude baby clothes.

Yes, it's enough to make you gag, but it's also kind of cute and cool. We know our girlfriend will love it. (Why am I not mentioning her name? Because we want to surprise her with the gift, and someone out there may know her and spill the beans so we're keeping it quiet for now.)

Of course, you know that we have other shirts for Battlestar Galactica, Joanie Loves Tchotchkies and some cool Star Wars ones, but it's crazy how much attention the Xanadu shirts are getting. Check them out!

Food Network Star Final Four, Celeb Sighting, and SPOILERS

Well, if you've seen last Sunday's episode then you know that our friend Paul was kicked off the show. It happened after a mini Iron Chef competition (Iron Chef-Lite?... I Can't Believe It's Not Iron Chef?) where Paul's cooking didn't exactly wow the judges and his work as a commentator wasn't stellar.

A couple people have left comments on some of my earlier posts comparing Paul to JAG and how it wasn't right that Paul was kicked off. But Paul even acknowledges in the episode that he lagged in certain areas. We've spoken, so this isn't me just being critical from behind a computer, and the bottom line was that JAG spoke really passionately about cooking and Paul admitted his nerves on camera-- always a fatal flaw in reality television, but between exhaustion and pressure a lot of reality participants make this same mistake.

The person who was spot-on this week was Amy (to the right). Her food impressed, and her on-camera commentary was fun and entertaining. Even when she didn't know the answers Alton Brown asked, she knew how to find them. She went with the flow and showed a savvy sensibility that's needed when dealing with TV hosting.

Honestly, now that Paul's gone she's the one with my vote. Besides, I love a mamma that cries about missing her family but then comes back to kick ass.

Another thing to keep in mind is that this isn't a show about who WE want to win. Not really. No matter how much the Food Network publicity machine wants us to believe that, it's really about finding a show they can sell to advertisers and one of the key things lacking with Food Network is ethnic diversity.

I think execs hoped to have a show with someone like JAG. He offers a Latin spin. And let's face it, Latin cuisine is hugely popular and includes a very large untapped market. Food Network's new show, Simply Delicioso, practically matches JAG's show pitch but it's hosted by Ingrid Hoffmann, a spicy Latina with Rachel Ray's haircut and Giada De Laurentiis' boobs-- I mean, fashion sense. (Go with what works, right?)

JAG also offers a real "guy's guy" sort of attitude that Food Network has been adding to their development slate over the last couple years (the Paula Deen boys, Guy Fieri, the winner from last season's FNS, and Ace of Cakes, being the obvious examples).

SIDE NOTE CELEB SIGHTING: When we went to see Transformers this weekend, Duff Goldman from Ace of Cakes was inside Kitchen Academy at the Arclight building shooting some sort of special or segment. He's very short. I'm talking smaller than Tom Cruise short. But we did see cake stuff. We got hungry. Unfortunately, they didn't give out samples.

We will no longer watch his show.

Anyway, speaking as a former D-boy (development person) who tried to sell shows at various networks around town, I can look at Next Food Network Star and see that Paul's show pitch (gay host, catering parties on a budget) is similar on some level to Party Line With The Hearty Boys and Good Deal With Dave Lieberman. But JAG offered something that Paul didn't-- Latin fusion from a hyper masculine chef-- so even if the two contestants were tied it's obvious why the judges would pick him over Paul; develop the show you want on the air.

Unfortunately, no one counted on JAG lying about his whole back story. Interesting that Food Network hasn't really addressed that yet in the media. Do you think they're seeing if it will blow over? If no one-- like the military-- will make a stink about his lies?

The only way Food Network can really save themselves at this point is by disqualifying JAG. We'll see what happens-- hell, he may just get kicked off next week so it will be a moot point-- but I can't picture America wanting to watch someone who deliberately lied about his back story to the judges and viewers.

And on one final note, why is it that all my straight comic book girlfriends want to know if I've met Alton Brown and if I can set them up on a date with him? I mean, I know the dude has made geek look cool, and his show is really entertaining, but come on! Can you just imagine the sex talk?

"Oh Alton... Talk nerdy to me!"