Christopher
Johnson IV
Writer/Producer/Director
Writer/Producer/Director
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Christopher
Johnson IV Writer/Producer/Director |
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| Christopher Johnson IV Updates | |
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY To my good friend Catherine, who celebrated Yesterday... To J., who celebrated on the 1st, To the other J. who will be celebrating on the 17th and to me... who will be just fine with celebrating today!!! Cheers all... and Happy Birthday. And oh yes... Jessica Simpson as well. Not that I know her in the least, but we do share a birthday. CDJ INDIANA JONES RETURNS With the return of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull I thought I would put up this photo of the week. It is of me and two others auditioning for the Disney Indiana Jones Adventure… it was something I went to on a fluke with a friend and was a hell of a lot of fun. Hope the movie is as fun as the audition. My friend Eric Maruscak mentioned to me that this year is similar to 1989 in that both a Batman film and an Indiana Jones film are being released. I love that child-like reminiscence… warm fuzzy kid feeling again. 1989 Was an amazing summer… great times with great friends. Hope this summer compares. Been busy doing some make-up effects lab work for an old friend and fellow make-up artist Vincent Guastini lately as well as a number of other things I’ll talk more about later. Looking forward to seeing Indy 4 and having a great Memorial Day weekend… hope all of you do as well. CDJ MASQUERADE On April 2nd, Timothy Prindle and I went to a masquerade party, courtesy of E.L. Downey. She got us on the VIP list as she is the artist who created all of the wonderful custom masquerade masks. Truly amazing craftsmanship. It was a fun evening, though unfortunately, Erica could not be here to enjoy the festivities with us. She ventured to the Las Vegas party on the 10th, I believe and hope she had a great time. It was hosted by Jose Cuervo for their new tequila, Platino. Yummy stuff… and I’m a whisky drinker. We went to a gorgeous mansion in the Hollywood hills… I mean, the kind you really only see in movies. I should have put that up as the photo of the week… well, perhaps next week. It must have been a feat, architecturally, getting this thing to stay on the side of a hill in Hollywood. My only complaint was that the hors d’oeuvres were few and far between. Now, normally that would not bother me in the least… but they were so amazingly delicious!!! I mean ridiculously good, beyond compare… So much so that I went on craving them the entire night. It is also possible that I did not eat enough dinner prior to the party and thus my judgment could have been compromised. It doesn’t matter… I remember them as delicious. Happy belated birthday to my Father and Glenn who celebrated on April 3rd. Hope you both had a wonderful day!!! Cheers! CDJ WIZARD WORLD 2008 I haven’t written in 10 years, so here is a quick update to get things started: I’m living in Glendale now… renting part of a house which is very nice. My dear talented friend Eric Maruscak was in town last weekend for the Wizard World LA convention and contributed another great piece of art which is the Photo of the Week this week (I’ll try not to let it become the photo of the year). The writers strike has ended so hopefully we’ll all be getting back to work on some stuff here in the very near future. A quarter of the year is over already and I can hardly believe it… time flies no matter what, these days. Most recently I built a Mars colony for an Avodart commercial, which is a prescription drug ad, and cleaned up and detailed a number of sculptures for some Sesame Street carousel or some such thing. Those last two jobs sound a little crazy, but they were fun and it was a treat to get to do some sculpting again. Okay… that’s all for now. Short entry just to put something down in 2008… A much belated Happy New Year, especially to the family and friends who check here to see if I’m still alive. CDJ JUST MARRIED!!! I returned from NY two days ago. I left to visit my family on Wednesday, August 1st and it seems like the time just evaporated. My Brother and his fiancé were married on the following Saturday and the day was about as perfect as they come. Our Grandparents were up from PA along with my Aunt and her whole family. Jason Detrani and Eric Maruscak came through on the video production end, Duke Holdsworth took some beautiful photographs of the occasion and Sean Taylor created a beautiful ice sculpture for the reception. It was nice to pull out the old “General Lee” Charger and tool around town… I even stopped in to see Gabriel (my kitty cat) and his new family. And what would a trip to Binghamton be without seeing Pinecone Fletcher and taking some promotional photos for his upcoming tour. Yes, catching up with not so near but very dear friends is a treat that nothing can really replace. Binghamton has an interesting allure, especially in the late summer / early fall… there’s simply nothing quite like it. Cheers to the newlyweds… CDJ BIRTHDAYS ONCE A YEAR Happy Birthday to Catherine Hill Gordon (July 9th), Jason Detrani (July 1st), J. Mooney (July 17th), Tom Hanks (July 9th) and anyone I missed. My birthday arrived 53 minutes ago and I am going to turn in a look forward to a day of relaxing. Oh, and yes, Jessica Simpson (July 10th). Goodnight… and good luck. CDJ LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD I went to the Hollywood premiere of LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD last night and had a blast. The movie was a LOT of fun, pretty good and to boot… I got screen credit at the end, which is always nice. If you like fun action flicks that really deliver the goods… this one is worth seeing. I can’t even believe how much I enjoyed watching this movie last night even having worked on the thing. Go see it. You may remember I was writing, producing and directing a 6 minute promotional piece for a producer in Canada for a show pitch called “Open.” Well, that is completed and you can view the edit by pasting this link into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TraBodPYdQY I’m not sure the path this project is going to take, but the executive producers are very driven and the promo turned out pretty good. It’s a story about swingers… and though I am not a swinger myself, there are some really interesting stories that can be told here in a kind of a Sex and the City meets Desperate Housewives meets Big Love kind of way. I’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile I am still retooling the Blood Red pitch… (I’ve been really busy and getting each of these done delivers a similar sensation to that of attempting to defy gravity or breathe under water), edit a pitch piece for a reality show Tim Prindle and I are working on called “Hoof,” get the one sheets for “Hollywood Nights” done (another reality series) and finish up yet another television series pitch to deliver to another director friend. And today I received a script and a request to produce a short for a friend… so, this year has been wonderfully colorful in terms of projects and work. Okay… ON THE LOT is about to start, so I’m wrapping up for now. Hope you’re all doing well. CDJ OPEN – DAY #1 Well, I did my first Hollywood directing gig last week. The Picture of the Week this week is a shot of the set we built for the exterior of the night club. We shot it all on stage at Cinema Production Services. It was a great week over all. It left me more exhausted, in a good way, than I have been in a long, long time. We have one more shoot day on the “sizzle piece” coming up this Friday and that will cover the interior of the club. I’m really very pleased with the way this whole project is coming together and am looking forward to pitching it at the networks. This weekend I spent some time in San Diego and PhoenIX and I went to Sea World. That was a great deal of fun. I haven’t been to Sea World in 26 years. Last time I was there I got one of those cork guns… and of course, soaked by Shamu. Well, this time, I just got soaked by Shamu. Phoenix swore that the water would not reach us where we were sitting. She was wrong. In remembrance of those who have fallen in wars past… happy Memorial day to all enjoying the freedoms defended by these stewards of our country. Thank you. CDJ UPDATE… FINALLY I know, I know… I’ve received some e-mails lately about there being very few updates of late… and my Aunt is very annoyed that I haven’t been more consistent. It’s been a busy busy year… and here’s how it goes: I re-applied to the Visual Effects Society this year and they accepted me as a member. I’m thrilled about this. It’s nice to be in the company of so many amazing artisans. Many of you may have seen the internet series premiere of “Poison” which I shot in early February. It was primarily made to submit (at the last minute) to the reality series ON THE LOT which aired its first episode last night. Needless to say, I didn’t make the cut (50 out of 12,000 did). I am happy to say that a fellow named Kenny Luby DID make the cut. We actually corresponded briefly after I saw his film which I thought was GREAT. Check it out at: films.thelot.com/films/16071 We had been working on Die Hard 4 when I last wrote and we just finished up the final work on that last Tuesday, if you can believe that. I think the film comes out in a month. Guess those prints will still be wet from the lab by the time they unspool at the theaters. A wonderful actress that I worked with on Poison brought me on to a gig writing and directing (and now producing) for a “sizzle tape” for a show we’re going to be pitching at HBO, Cinemax, etc. I have actually taken over the producing end as well and am having a lot of fun with it, though it’s a lot of work. I am very pleased to have the distinction of being a writer/producer/director that has been hired, for real money, to shoot in Hollywood. How wonderful that is. I was driving the convertible BMW around today that I rented for the shoot and really felt great enjoying a few of the “on the job” perks. Believe it or not, I like the comfort of my own car much better. I don’t know why luxury cars are less comfortable. In any event, I loved the convertible option this red 328i came with. Monday and Tuesday of this week we built the set for the shoot which we had today. I’m exhausted and will be amazed if this text comes off coherent. As with all adventures, this one has been infused with events that make hilarious stories, but I will have to save these for a visit home and an evening lounging with family and the best of friends. Sorry, but they’re not the kind of thing you publish… just the kind of thing that, as the old saying goes, “makes you say: huh?” Tomorrow is a breakdown day on the set. Then Memorial Day weekend in San Diego. I’m sure there’s more, but I’m going to just ease back into this update thing and call it a wrap on this particular entry. Goodnight. CDJ A PASSING MOMENT I know I have been promising updates for some time now… and there are updates, actually… but they will have to wait just a little longer. For tonight, I want to send my condolences to a dear friend and his family and express my sadness for the loss of his father. Eric Maruscak has been a dear, dear friend for more of my life than not, and words can never fully express the sympathy that one feels for such a person when they lose someone near and dear to them. If we are all lucky enough to outlive our parents, as the natural order of things generally dictates, we will inevitably face this same moment in our own lives and be left with that inexplicable question: how do I do this? Speaking to Eric tonight gave me a new perspective on my long time friend… a perspective that I rarely think on… but we and our friends have all grown up and become men and women… in our thirties, handling the responsibilities of adults, husbands, wives and parents ourselves. I generally think of us still as children, recently freed from our high school shackles. But the grace and presence of mind that Eric has exhibited just hours after the passing of his father has shown me that we are not those children anymore… he has reminded me of the maturity and understanding that comes from years of thinking, hoping dreaming and ultimately, living. I can only hope that I am able to exhibit some semblance of this grace when I am called upon to endure the same parting of loved ones in my own life. Be well my friend… know you’re loved and though of… and there are friends surrounding you should you need anything in your time of loss. CDJ SOON, I PROMISE I know... it's a month later and I still haven't done a comprehensive update. It's coming... I've busily getting spring things in order. CDJ UPDATING SOON... Hello everyone... I will be posting an update very soon... prehaps even over the weekend. It looks like we're wrapped on Die Hard 4 and I will be taking some much needed time to get things updated and back in order. In the meantime... you can check out our initial page for an upcoming internet episodic series I am producing and directing by visiting www.myspace.com/poisonmovie.com More soon. CDJ A REPONSE TO A RESPONSE I posted SUNSETS AND QUIET WHEELS a couple days ago… and received a response from PhoneIX which read as follows: _________________________________ The machine says she's hungry, 3x a day even!!!! Shovel, shovel or society shall indeed crumble!!!! The other day, when we walked on the lake and I paused for a moment, spotting a butterfly caught in a glistening spiders web, still fresh with the mornings dew and no doubt an item on said spiders lunch menu, you kept me from acting with my tiny fingers for fear the spider would wake and decide to strike. Instead, you deftly arranged for the weakened butterfly to free herself, beautiful orange and black wings flapping mightily once released! All this amidst the distraction of the joggers, early-morn commuters and cawing crows. I knew then there was a model of a truly exceptional human existence. Morose moments of contemplation are always so notable but don't forget the butterfly....She, I, WE know the only root of despair is the occasional, yet tempestuous web. The noise of creation is more silent than the wings of the butterfly that by any other adapted concern shows you EXACTLY that YOUR ideal IS obtainable. A sunset, albeit beautiful, is only an end of a day....the important things happen ALL the time. -PhoenIX __________________________________ I felt compelled to respond to this as follows: You're quite a writer, aren't you Ms. PhoenIX. Your clarity of thought is refreshing and applauded. You inspire one to embrace the positive... a safety tether suspending the artist over the precipice allowing him/her to create within the freedom of the air, the confidence of the positive, the sturdy support of the good, the affirming, the inspiring. True, we swim in a sometimes cynical pool but have access to an ocean of possibility, an ocean of resource, and ocean of abundant supply. Thankfully the cynicism of the finite pool is often cleansed and replenished by the vastness and the strength of the almost infinitely fertile source that ultimately feeds us all in some way. I for one am thankful to know beacons that illuminate this reality for me beyond the scope of my own realizations, people and friends that expand my knowledge and help to feed my ever hungry and ever expansive need to explore the oceans of the world. When we truly understand that the tides of the world and the tides of the mind breathe in and breathe out, that there is a cycle of hope and fulfillment, demand and supply, then we don't wall off our little pools to the cleansing effects of the oceans of the world. Instead, we glow with excitement for the journey of the vast, and are comforted by the newly cleansing and replenishing qualities of a respite in a pool kept clean by the source that feeds it. Thanks for shining. CDJ SUNSETS AND QUIET WHEELS I picture my return to Silverlake today in silence. The wheels of the car on the pavement motivating me forward, a dark pillowy sky of dense stormy colors hanging low overhead, air, by J.S. Bach playing in my mind; A day of motivations and an inspiration to create; a spark of my wild imagination. A sunset that lit the sky like the ceiling of heaven enclosed the valley this evening. The homes and trees were thrown into silhouette against this magnificent, all encompassing umbrella. What will come to fill the star-strewn sky of my mind, I wonder. A trace line of narrative perhaps, a thread of a story that will suspend me, support the weight of my human musings, feed my soul, my stomach and the machine that pleads for my money and into whose hungry mouth I shovel said currency into. The light of the sky today illuminated my mind in a way that reminded me of Eastern Autumn days, a lightness that joyfully played with the weight of the present, tripping into carefree moments that seem more and more punctuated by the awesome intensity of the present. That punctuation seems always to hide in plain sight. And though you know it is there, you don't realize it's striking effect (like the anticipation of the sting of a needle that doesn't actually hurt that badly). Because the truth is that the present need sting in a deliberate way sometimes and that momentum hides in the plain sight. Sometimes, someone focuses on the wrong point of interest, the ones that don't snatch motivataion, and they grind slowly forward like the wheels of your trusty automobile. In those moments I often ask myself why I do not remember to push others forward along wiht me, remember all the things I have learned about life, existence, the human mind and body, the nourishments of the mind and the soul can help others often stuck in their creative mud. I often ask why the cynical and the negative have any place in their minds or consciousness and I am unclear about the answer but easily admit that often great things come from lower places in a psyche. The supernatural nature of idols, gods, immortalized role models and such provide a marker, a marker that inspires us all to better ourselves in some way, a bar to reach for. Granted, it is different for all of us, but I wonder what happens when one evolves to a place where they see that these examples are flawed by their very selfish and egotistical nature and that if the ideal exists only in the ideal, that seeking such an ideal becomes infinitely more futile in the idea that it is ultimately unobtainable. Benevolence and philanthropy and creation lays the true inspiration, the model of the truly exceptional human existence. Some days are hardeer for some than others. We must remember that pushing forward is the key. It's nice to have sunsets and quiet wheels to move you through those interim moments and to remind one of the great, hard-working days ahead. Note to self, breathe the free air and remember, push others along with you for the ride and to watch those sunsets with you. CDJ Hmmm Well, the weather today was beautiful… felt like spring does in New York. I love that. This is mundane, but I cleaned the whole house today and it does somehow make me feel good. Some days just feel good. Despite some of the crap that has come down the pike of late, I’ve felt fairly decent. I have a lot of thoughts about things today… most of which don’t belong here… so they won’t appear here. But the long and the short of it is: Mom, I hope you’re feeling much much better… Dad, thanks for the momentous and prophetic insights this morning… Matt, I hope you and Chelsie are doing great… and finally… Glenn, I enjoyed the pie and coffee this morning (I started sparingly drinking black coffee again just recently after a 14 year hiatus)… As for all the other stuff… I can only say that I smile a lot at the little things and smile even more at the bigger things, even when they serve to annoy. It’s late, I have laundry to finish and food to cook and a Smallville episode to catch up on. So, I’m out of here for now. Ciao. CDJ SCOTLAND ROAD Last Saturday was one of the best days I’ve had in a LOOONG time. Phoenix and I hung out in Orange County for the day… checked out the antique shops, went to the sporting goods store… checked out how to purchase a hand gun... I’m going to get one at some point and start target shooting at the range. I bought a cigar, just because, and then on the way home, Phoenix took me to see a play entitled “Scotland Road.” It was perhaps the most brilliant play I have seen. Scotland road refers to the ship long crew passage that runs from bow to stern. The play however was about a man obsessed with the Titanic. A woman is discovered on and iceberg in contemporary times, but is in dress from 1912 and claims she is a passenger of the Titanic. What ensues is a one room play about a wealthy man and a doctor trying to disprove her. The reality of what is happening is much more haunting and lovely. See it if you can. The attrition rate at work is rugged. People are dropping like flies with the cold bug or the flu. Two people were out today alone. I, however, am happy to be on the mend from my little ill experience. The weather is still ridiculously cold for the region and I purchased a thermal shirt at the sporting goods store on Saturday to combat the 49 degree weather at the shop. Eeessh! Well… I’m off to do some editing and thinking… about what, who knows. CDJ RECORD LOWS We’ve been experiencing record lows here in LA… and I’m not talking in a self-effacing manner regarding some dismal state of my emotional fortitude. In other words, it is COLD! Now, I don’t REALLY mind it because I think it’s better than the heat we experienced last summer. That was really unbearable. This is just odd. Though I don’t fancy the fact that the shop I’m working in is 49 degrees as a result… no heat there which is NOT great. I think it got down to 22 some time last week. I wonder… will there be snow flurries??? I digress: Corinne Wedlake (1st Assistant Director from Summer of Tomorrows) was visiting LA last week for part of her Syracuse University Filmmaking program. We got a chance to cross paths when she invited me to a panel discussion with a board of guests in the industry including Aaron Sorkin. It was a delightful evening and I was thankful for the invitation. There was a grand piano in the room and I played during the cocktail hour before the noted guests arrived… I’m not much for small talk… and have very little in common with 20 something college students… but it was a very delightful time. Thank you Corinne. Well, it’s 11:02 and I haven’t been able to get much done tonight for some reason… so I’m going to crash and get to it tomorrow. CDJ DAY 3, 2007 Massive headache, throbbing temples, squinty eyes and clogged nasal passages courtesy of the most recent strain of head cold bugs! At least it’s not the flu. New catalytic converter and partial exhaust pipe to boot. This year is starting off with a bang!!! Awesome. Watched Hollywoodland and Rocky Balboa screeners tonight and enjoyed both. I’m going to drug myself and go to bed now. It’s an effort to keep the eyes focused at the moment, so, that in combination with my razor sharp wit, ahem, is enough of a reason to turn in. A side helping of impending sarcasm and impatience brought on by the invisible vice crushing my head and I’m “all in.” If I could only come up with some ad hominem attack to insult and passive/aggressively undermine the confidence of this head cold bug, I would turn the guns and begin firing, but I think I’m going to have to resort to some kind of over the counter placebo to lull me into the hope that this will pass quickly. Meanwhile, I will thinly mask my discomfort in lightly veiled responses to remarks like: Are you okay? - You look awfully pale. - Is something wrong? Funny, I’m actually amused at the idea of arguing passive aggressively with a head cold bug. A full frontal attack would be too obvious, and while resorting to ad hominem attacks and passive aggression are generally things I despise… It seems appropriate for a bug I equally despise. So there it is… a little bit of non-sense on day 3. CDJ HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007 Here we go again… beginning of a whole new year. HAPPY NEW YEAR. I spent the weekend at a resort in San Diego. It was practically “comp’d,” meal included because Phoenix and I had an hour meeting with the resort wedding planner. Now before you go thinking the things I know you’ll be inclined to think… don’t. I’m on no fast track to marriage. It was just too good a deal to pass up. So, we played the happy engaged couple. Actually, it was quite terrifying… the number of details that you have to organize to pull off an event like that for say, 200 people. It’s not unlike planning a movie. I give my brother and his fiancé kudos for putting together their plans for this summer. Today I cleaned the entire apartment and prepped to go back to work tomorrow. I had a pitch meeting before the holiday and it seemed quite promising… I’ll let you know more about that later if it turns out to be worth mentioning. I realize I had said I would tell you about some of last years follies, but I think it’s better to leave them in the past and start fresh with this year. I didn’t get to go home for the holidays this year which was a first for me. With the ubiquitous California weather, it wasn’t really like Christmas at all, to be honest. I decorated a small tree display for Phoenix and wrapped the presents she had for her family. I ended up going with her for Christmas Eve and accompanying her whole family on piano for their annual sing along. That was fun. I stayed in for New Years and had a less than relaxing evening of it, but it all evened out in the end. Of course I missed family and friends, but I am able to look at the bright side which is no holiday air travel. Having a mild phobia about germs and the flu, I am always happy to limit possible exposure. Oddly, I’ve been so preoccupied with work and the like that I’m just getting to my Christmas stuff now… it will be late in coming, but I’m sure welcomed just the same. And I’ll look forward to seeing my family when Die Hard 4 wraps, or the gig after that… or in between. It always works out somehow and I can’t wait to see them. So thus begins another year, another number and another calendar appointed fresh start… I’ll take it, for what it’s worth and make the most of every day to come. Cheers to all and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! CDJ POWDER PAINT PONDERINGS When I was a child… well to be more apt, when I was still in a child’s body, there were certain things I loved for reasons of which I still uncertain. For example: In kindergarten, I used to love the smell of the cardboard milk containers we would receive our snack pint of milk in. It is a very distinct odor… you pop open that little spout and when you go to drink… you would be able to smell that cardboard. And the milk, chilled as it was, seemed to always be a bit bland to me. On certain occasions, special ones, I would select Chocolate milk and delight in the thick sweetness of that drink. I never really liked paste, or eating paste for that matter. It did NOT appeal to me for some reason, though few things made me happier than the fresh and untouched surface of a newly opened paste jar. I delighted with surprise when I would open one that was new as I had gotten so used to battling around the dried chunks that stuck to the sides of the inside of the jar. Pop-sickle sticks hold another special place in my heart. I loved building things out of them and may have to do so again in the near future. I remember going to summer school one year in Elementary school… not the kind of summer school you attend because you failed to pass a grade, but the kind that is made up of fun activities to help occupy children and keep them from under a parent’s foot. In any case, this particular summer was the summer of pop-sickle sticks, spin art and face molding. My brother and I got the spin art activity set after I had a particularly good piano lesson. In fact, we each got one which, unlike many of today’s games or toys, provided hours and hours, weeks, in fact, of fun that eventually included not only the entire family, but the whole neighborhood. I may have to get one of these again just to see if it still holds its original charm. And little did I know that while having my face cast with plaster bandages that summer that years later I would do it professionally on 70 million dollar movies. But one of my singularly favorite things from childhood came in the unlikely form of the wondrous material called powder paint. I just so loved the idea of scooping out the vibrant powdered colors into cups, adding water and having instant art at my tiny finger tips. The reason I am reflecting on these things at this given moment isn’t random by any means. This week – at the model shop – I have been casting up quarter inch plaster walls for this thing we’re building that I can’t really talk about. Plaster is, of course, white. The thing we’re building isn’t... and it is to explode. So I’m coloring the plaster intrinsically with, yup, you guessed it: Powder Paint!!! It smells exactly the same as I remember it. Scent is such a strong sense memory. I have really enjoyed working with it and finding myself suddenly awash in distinct memories from some 30 years ago. I will close on this… the power of persuasion. We were learning the days of the week at one point… we would come into class, my teacher would play the national anthem which was recorded on an unlabeled black audio cassette (which would lead to one of my first obsessions with the national anthem and unlabeled black audio cassettes so much so that I would use a black crayon to color any cassette that wasn’t black)… in one of those old boxy tape recorders that had it’s own fiber board case built as one unit complete with speakers… immediately following, we would have to go up to the teacher’s desk and recite the days of the week. Those who succeeded would get a ring with a molded Disney character on it. I failed one or two times as I recall before luck would present me with the right order of days allowing me to finally possess my prize. I received a beautiful plastic ring with Mickey Mouse molded on the top… I so wanted one of those and was persuaded to keep going. It’s funny, the things that inspire youth. I would eventually become obsessed with many things in my childhood such as my bus; Bus 8. I asked the bus driver, Louie, if he would allow me to open the doors for the students waiting to get on the bus because I so liked the handle mechanism that operated the doors which were split… one would open in, one would open out. Later I would deliver, courtesy of Mom, a fruit basket to Louie at his home where I got to visit bus 8 one last time before we moved. My brother was just then very shortly alive… but he was with us none the less. Later on it would be wind up stop watches… the kind Mrs. Bartlett would use to time us during our 3rd grade multiplication flash card exams every Friday… I finally got through them all. Then it would be red “Bic” ballpoint pens with ink so dark it looked almost black. I remember hating SRAs but wanting to create my own. (SRAs, incidentally, were or are some kind of Standardized Reading Aptitude tests or some such thing. Ugh!!!) Well, I still love and obsess over the 1972 Toro Whirwind lawnmower and 1969 Dodge Chargers… but what would life be without a little exciting persuasion to get us from one moment to the next? I say it would be a lot less interesting. Goodnight all. CDJ REST WELL, NATE I am sad to announce (to those who may not already know for some reason) that a dear friend has passed away. Nate Cortese died a week ago today and will be sorely missed. He lived a long life, passing at the age of 84 leaving behind the legacy of a wonderful family and a restaurant that he nurtured from it’s very humble beginnings some ages ago beginning in 1947. Cortese pizza is still my favorite in Binghamton NY and the world for that matter. Nate made everyone feel important and treated them with a grace and compassion I have seldom seen in the world today. I was fortunate to know him for many years and every time he saw me his eyes would light up and he would ask me how I was and what I was up to. The gleam in his eyes wasn’t because of some miraculous thing in me, but due to the genuine love and interest he had in the vast wealth of people who had the good fortune to know him. I recall some years ago in the recent past… 3 or 4 at the most… Nate and I were having a conversation at a Christmas party our families would frequent year after year. He was talking to me about his strong faith and his wonder at what would come after this lifetime. He shared concerns over not being a dutiful enough servant of the lord and wondered if he had and was doing everything he could to ensure that proper care of not only those around him, but his soul as well. I relayed to him, as only one from an objective outside point of view can, that from my humble estimation, he was without a doubt among the highest caliber of men and that I could not imagine a more worthy individual to be the recipient of a happy full life and after-life. And I meant every word of it. His smile radiated some form of comfort in the words of this young “kid-ish” person who grew to love Nate Cortese as anyone who knows him has come to do as well. He simply said “Thank you, Chris. I hope you’re right.” Funny, I probably felt more comforted by his warm smile and gentle words than he from mine. There are few things in life of which I am certain, but this is among them: If indeed there is a great beyond that holds wonders for those who have lead a full, meaningful, generous, and giving and above all, loving life… the population of that miraculous community now has the good fortune of adding to it’s ranks an exemplary individual… and they will be better for it. We however, shall remain ever less for his passing, but more for having known the wonderful humanitarian spirit that was and is Nate Cortese. My condolences to his surviving wife Joan and the entire Cortese family. May the pain of Nate’s passing soon be replaced by the warmth of the fond memories of your blessed time together. CDJ HOLY COINCIDENCES BATMAN!!! Today started with a wake-up call from Phoenix… and I don’t mean the city in Arizona. I am speaking about a female person who I spend time with occasionally. Today we went on a hike and it was my intention to show her the Bronson caves where they filmed the entrance and exit of the Batmobile from and to the Batcave for the 60s TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward. Well, we turn the corner and I didn’t really know how to process what I saw next. Sure enough… there was the Batmobile sitting there in front of the entrance to the Batcave. It was such a strange coincidence to be there at that moment while some guy was shooting an audition for some reality TV show utilizing his collector friend’s original Batmobile. So, I wasted no time going up and talking to Nate Truman, the car’s owner. We had a good conversation and I told him that I have a General Lee and he told me to bring it out to LA because he’s always booking “Star Car” shows. So… I think I will arrange to do that over the summer. What a start to the day. Shortly there after we enjoyed a peaceful rest by a mountain stream where the dogs accompanying two passer-by hikers stopped to say hello to us and have a drink. Quite delightful, actually. Then off to the Gold Line Metro Rail to south Pasadena. We stopped in a little coffee shop and enjoyed some live jazz… outstanding and reminiscent of a scene from my home town in NY. Shortly thereafter we visited an old drug store where they have a soda fountain, or “soda jerk,” as I have heard it called. We had an old fashioned malt and got stoned on sugar which made for a nice ride home. What a delightful day. Now, on Saturday November 5th, I took my friend Joe (Gatt) to see the Richard Donner cut of Superman II at a theater in Beverly Hills. It was a week before his birthday, so that was my gift to him. Afterward there was a Q&A session with Michael Thau who did the editing and restoration with Richard Donner. It was interesting seeing this version of the movie on the big screen…. 80% of which had never seen the light of day previously. Very different from the theatrical version that came out on June 19th, 1981. Ultimately, however, I think a combination of the two would render the best version of the movie… but due to ego and other reasons, no doubt, it will most likely take a fan to combine them. In fact, that fan might be me… we shall see. CDJ NOVEMBER ROLLING BY Technology has thwarted me. Everything I own, with the exception of my watch and my car clock, has a self correcting mechanism that adjusts the time according to daylight, or daylight savings time. Brother… Even the battery powered clock on my wall has a built in device that corrects for such things… well, I guess life really does come close to auto-pilot sometimes. The fall here has been a combination of beautifully perfect overcast days and blistering hot days. It’s odd that there seems to be no in-between. I suppose the desert is a perfect example of extremes, so I don’t know exactly what I expected. In any case the beginning of this week has been wonderful, though it’s supposed to get hot again by tomorrow. And I’m not sure where the time has been going because it seems like it’s flying by at an unbelievable rate. My dear friend Joseph Gatt has become engaged and I attended his engagement party late last Saturday evening. Earlier in the day, Yasemin Tezel got married in Las Vegas, but I couldn’t make the wedding… as usual, work or distance or scheduling has caused me to miss yet another wedding. Funny, that’s becoming the story of my life. Missing weddings is almost becoming a pass-time. Well, at least I got to see the video on the web. That’s all for the moment… nothing exciting to relay of late… but I figured I better throw a little update on here since it’s been half a month or so since I wrote last. I did spend some time in Palos Verdes by the ocean last week. In fact, that’s the Picture of the Week currently posted on the home page. It was relaxing and very nice… even got to see some elephant seals and sea lions at the wildlife refuge center down there. What a treat. CDJ Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I’m not setting my clocks back this fall. That’s the first thing. The second thing is that I’m glad to have today (Sunday) and tomorrow off. The shoot yesterday was very draining and not really that fun. It is the first time since I’ve been back in LA that a malaise seemed to have washed over a day on a production. I’m glad that’s a rarity. I think it may have just been a combination of very little sleep, exceedingly hot temperatures on location and the sun-block burning my eyes… and perhaps not enough of the right kinds of food for the hot temperatures. I’ll take better measures next time to prevent this kind of reaction. Halloween is this week, and unfortunately I have no real time to do anything for it… but the up side of that is that we’re working… so no complaints. I can’t believe we’re at the end of October already. This year is flying by. The photo of the week is of me catching a few Zzzzzzzs during lunch on set. I wish I could show you the shots of the set itself… its really cool. But you know the rules, no posting until the movie comes out. Sorry. Well, that’s that for the moment. There’s a huge corn maze and haunted house in Temecula… was going to go today, but am too tired… maybe tomorrow. CDJ DIE HARD We’re back working this week on Die Hard 4. Last week was a nice break from the hectic schedule I’ve been keeping of late. AND, in fact, there is a lot to catch you up on… so I’ll do my best to be concise and short here. Let us see… oh yes… Friday the 13th was where we left off. It was quite the evening. That weekend was quite nice, as I mentioned… meeting back up with Vincent Guastini and going to dinner, etc. The week that followed was quite interesting as well. I guess you could say I had a date on that Friday the 13th… unique in ways that I cannot really convey effectively in this type of forum… but officially the first date I’ve been on in some time. Well… Thursday of last week my new “friend” and I went Frisbee golfing which I have never been… and it was delightful, to say the least. We concluded the evening with a delightful and surprisingly delicious meal at P.F. Chang’s. Sunday it was brunch on the Queen Mary and then we snuck off to explore (not the way you’re thinking) the depths of the ship. After touring the obvious places, we simply went everyplace we could find that you are not allowed access to. Luckily, there were enough open doors and passages that we were effectively able to find our way to the bowels of the ship. Deep inside near the engine rooms we found some beautiful old spaces gutted to the original iron hull… sounds of water trickling, virtually no light… what a delight. It was a little spooky, but more fascinating and exciting than anything. Hopefully no one of import reads this because I would like to tour the ship in such a manner again someday. There were also some beautiful models with split section views of the interiors of ships such as the Lusitania, of course, the Queen Mary and my favorite, the Titanic. What a treat. I have always wanted to visit the Queen Mary and we did just that. All and all, a lovely “dating” experience… and that is the last we shall probably see of each other. Short, sweet and delightful. Now, on Friday, I went to the premiere of a film called “Driftwood.” Vinnie invited me and I had a great time. AND, I ran into a beautiful young lady named Ashley Peldon who played “Young Elizabeth” on the first film I supervised make-up effects on called “Drop Dead Fred.” It was interesting seeing her 16 years later… she was 6 when we were working on that picture. I don’t feel old enough to have that kind of history with ANYONE… wow. It was also very nice to have the opportunity to meet Tobe Hooper (Director of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Poltergeist, etc.), Reggie Bannister (Phantasm) and his wife Gigi… some people whose work I have enjoyed over the years. Angus Scrimm (The Tall Man from Phantasm) was even there… This week, as I have mentioned, we are back on task at the shop prepping for our Saturday shoot. Man… days can be long. Between work and the gym, etc, I leave around 7am and got home this evening at 10:15pm. Oh well… better busy than bored I seem to always say. Well, that’s the quick version if you can believe it. All of the other usual stuff is still going on… development meetings for financing, etc. As you all must know by now… that’s a long road to hoe, but slow and steady… Cheers, CDJ |
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