Home again. Recap on last day at the con:

Trailer Park: Saw coming attractions for films over the next two years: Underworld which is sort of a Vampire and Lycanthrope story crossed with Romeo and Juliet. But emphasis on the, “Gosh, let’s look like the Matrix” rather than having a story.

Also a pleasant surprise, “Kill Bill” the new 2 part movie from Quenten Tarantino, who appeared along with Darryl Hannah and some other cast members. Tarantino talked about the movie. Looks really cool. Someone asked him what was really in the briefcase. He gave the best answer a director could, “What do you think is in the briefcase? It doesn’t matter what I think is in there.”

Later was the Fox preview for next season. Three shows: “Tru Calling” the new Eliza Dushku action (pseudo-)supernatural series. “Still Life” which is 7th Heaven meets Wonder Years modern day. This time the narrator is the dead son. So add in a touch of American Beauty. Then there was a comedy whose name I can’t remember about a Daria like girl who can hear inanimate objects talk to her. This one showed the most promise.

Back to Tru Calling. I guess I’d call it “Run Lola Run” meets “Quantum Leap”


Series synopsis:
At the age of 12 a young girl named Tru witnesses her mother’s grisly murder. The next day at the funeral she whispers to her mom that she wishes she could have done something to prevent it. A voice whispers back to her. She tells her older sister and brother that mom forgave her and it was okay.

10 years later, Tru (the track star) is graduating college. Sis is an executive cocaine junkie and Bro is a slave to gambling with Poker. Monday morning: Tru wakes up in her boyfriend (ex-professor’s) loft. Her internship in the hospital lost its funding so she’s going to take an alternate job in the morgue on graveyard shift. The morgue is filled with people who were murdered or committed suicide, people who ‘died before their time.’ Throughout the day she interacts with her loser siblings who blew off her graduation. Brother gets beaten to a pulp by gambling syndicate (one 10 of clubs short of a royal flush) and sister… well, lots of white powder in little envelopes.

First night on the job, they wheel in a woman with a huge hole in the back of her neck. Time of death 10pm. They put her in a locker (or whatever those things are called). About 2 am Tru here’s whispering and the requisite ominous music. She checks a few bins and then goes over to #32. She pulls out the corpse and the woman suddenly turns her head, opens her eyes, and says, “Help me.”

Special effect which is blipvert editing thru the previous 20 minutes of footage. Monday morning: Tru wakes up in her boyfriend (ex-professor’s) loft. She runs a lot, she may or may not prevent the untimely death of this complete stranger… tada show.

Comments about Tru Calling
I can not begin to explain how much this is Quantum Leap meets Run Lola Run. However, it’ll be interesting to see who in the supporting cast finds out about her secret. The producer answered questions including such statements as, “Yes, we’ll get her a car.” Yes, there will be a mythology arc to answer questions.

My views: This is a network/show hoping to snag viewers off of Dushku’s popularity coming off BtVS. The show is absolute formula. “Science Fiction” without the “Science Fiction.” Face it folks, Quantum Leap really was just an episodic serial like the Hulk. The nice-guy driven to help people’s lives in the hopes that maybe something will help them with their issue that we really can’t fix or the series ends. The material of the episode was of course far beyond anything Hulk or Leap handled. But those are also shows from decades past.

Dushku? She can handle it. If the writing gives us compelling serial… It could last. The formula has worked well in the past. I respect Dushku and think she has a lot of potential but she’s going to have to evolve the character who is merely coming off like a kindler, gentler, “Faith”

Mind you in the Angel/Buffy writer’s forum, most writers said they liked writing for Faith the most. While Whedon admitted his favourite character of the 11 combined years was Willow. (yay)

But back to T.C. It’s to debut after the World Series ends. So that means October.

So, yes, Dushku was at Comic_con. I feel badly for her because she got some of the most annoyingly bad fanboy questions. Will you do any cheerleading in the show? Will you do True Lies 2? And my personal worst groaner to ask a set of actors and a producer promoting a show, “If this show fails, will you do a Buffy Spin Off?” Cripes.

She went off to sign autographs for a few hrs until her hand fell off. (Didn’t even bother. Comic-con’s handling of A-List stars autographing is a nightmare)

Speaking of which: I went to the Comic-Con feedback forum. Dear Bob! It was like the Shatner sketch on SNL. I could only sit thru 5 minutes of the woman with the “Joe Dirt” Mullet drolling on about why crowd control was worse than a Who concert. The panel seemed to be 4 people with staff badges who were there to put up a front that they cared and realized they were going to get the lowest common denominator of the attendees.

The art show was a bit of a bust. I take a little bit of the blame suggesting that Heather not undersell the quality of her work. Sadly in this economy, if the art was more than $25, most people weren’t buying. I think Prints will be her best route. But it’s her career.

I tried crashing at 11:30. The bed at the Sheraton was horrible. Hard and too small. I slept miserably. So I get back here, and now I can’t sleep. Blah. This of course makes me punchy and puts me in a bad mood so I can’t really comment about too much personally without pushing the borders of mild-depression.

On the light side, the mail program clogged over the week but I didn’t blow out my quota. I met a contact inside Apple’s Hardware division who might be able to help me get a resume to someone of value outside HR. And I have a new person on my friend of list on LJ that I added. scarletserpent added me this past week sometime. I’m not sure who she is, but she looks like she’s in the order down in Atlanta and a quick read of her journal looks really cool. So welcome to my little corner of the universe.

Tomorrow, I’ll comment about the stuff that I bought at the con. Anime and 70’s vid… Oh boy. And a few other things 🙂 (Yawn) maybe a good sign.

A note: this week will be hell. I must memorize the script to Sol which is on Saturday. I am still busting a vocal chord on the bridge and following verse to my solo. I fly to Alameda on Thursday and Tuesday I find out how badly I slept.

Come-on magick. I need a mac job in L.A. Or a java job at Symantec… or a job at Apple. I’m supposed to be a magickian here.

*sigh* Attempt to sleep #2 coming up.

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