YES... I'M RETARDED!

Ironically, this is a poster from my film, "The Last Eagle Scout". It hangs in the fictional school walls of Petty County High School (PCHS). It is a fake organization I created for the film that basically tells you what you can or can't eat, drink, dress, etc... all for you good. (Kind of an eerie foreshadowing of our possible health care take over).

But in this widely read blog, (that's all 3 of you) I will not be talking about the film, or the film business in this entry.

Ok, I am not SO retarded, but I do have neck and back problems that have accrued two weeks ago. Went to the chiropractor today and got results that state that my neck is out of alignment and I have a pinched nerve. That is why my back has been hurting for the last two weeks and my right arm has gone numb through Christmas.

I couldn't think of why this would happen, but then I was reminded that I was in a car wreck 3 and a half years ago and totaled Stephanie's car. (It needed to be totaled. What was funny was that I was switching cars with her at the time and told a friend as I got in to drive it that I should run it over a cliff and get her a new one... right before the accident!) I digress.

That is the only time we can pinpoint any "damage" done to my back. Three years of gradual decline in my neck has now caused me to go through therapy for the next... who knows how long.

I don't hate doctor's, I just hate the process of my life getting interrupted with "getting better". Just give me two aspirin and let me get back to work. I feel for those who have long term issues they have to deal with. It becomes a part of their life.

My mother just got diagnosed with ovarian cancer. So her life has to slow down and get that taken care of. She just finished a big operation that keeps her from doing things for about 5 weeks. I will be going down tomorrow to take my turn in taking care of the household.

My second ex-wife, Heather, had a rod inserted all up her back when she was a teenager. It always seemed slightly scary to me to see the remnant's of the surgery and a reminder of her limitations. What a trooper. I, myself, would probably have just voted for the pain and some medication, and let me be on my way.

But, for now, the pain on my back and deadening arm has forced me to succumb to the time for me to heal. I can't hardly play the drums! (At least there are no big concerts coming up yet.)

Holiday/End of the year.

We had a wonderful holiday. Blending two families, especially with the different age ranges, is always a chore, and we usually have to keep the events fairly separate. But in this case, we decided that instead of opening a ton of presents, our present would be doing something different. I have never been snowmobiling before (I am usually a sunny, beach person, myself... I hate the snow).

We went to the Homestead for a few days. On Christmas morning, Santa showed up with snow clothes, just in time for us to be able to protect ourselves from the 0 degree weather we experienced while snowmobiling at 10,000 feet at Daniel's Summit Lodge. What a great experience. We rode about 25 miles in. Parke and Forrest were in front, Stephanie was in the middle with her daughter, Kristina, and I took the caboose with Emily and Michael.

It was interesting being so high in such a cold state. It was like I was on another planet and I don't dare take off my gloves or helmet. Plus we were above the clouds and the wind was blowing the fresh snow along side the ground. Very alien!

I will have to say that Stephanie was a crazy driver. For never having ridden a snowmobile, she often surprises me with an animal inside. I, on the other hand, have been carrying a bad back for about 2 weeks now, thinking it would go away with a simple massage or two. In fact, the opposite has been happening. My whole right arm has been going numb. So as I drive the snowmobile up the hill, my arm continues to be in pain. Needless to say, I have had to spend my nights in the hot tub... doctors orders.

All in all, it was a very successful trip. The kids got along (as well as kids get along) and we learned to appreciate new things in life.

When I returned, my good friend, Alan Peterson, sent me this link. Another badge of honor for the very successful Ad campaign known as Will it Blend. We were awarded number 8 of a decade of famous viral videos from Salon Magazine. (I guess that's great coming from an organization that thinks that "Yes We Can" should be awarded number 1... what ever).

Read here.

THE LAST EAGLE SCOUT-TRAILER

You can now FINALLY see the trailer on-line. We are not finished yet with the website. But we are close. We are looking at Jan 1 for the web site and September for the release of the film.

Much more work to do.

UPDATE: I am noticing that this video widescreen is going off the page. You may need to go to the youtube site and watch it in all its glory. You will miss half the picture.

BEEN BUSY...

Yup! Trying to get everything done! That's why those 2 or 3 of you who actually read this blog haven't heard form me for a while. I am sure I am not the only one. But right now I am preparing a website that will show a bunch of photos and information on The Last Eagle Scout.

You see here a sample poster that I simply built in Word. It has already changed and it will not say "from the guy who did Will it Blend". That is for this blog only. (Plus, I was only fooling around).

I have passed everything over to "the professionals" (i.e. Ray) to get the ball rolling. I also have our ever-faithful grip (from the production) Holly Tucker on the prowl to assemble the film. She will have a rough cut hopefully by Christmas. Then after the holiday, Dan Hollister, Danna Tanner and I will go in and make the adjustments and add the effects, etc.

Clark Shaffer is now building the miniature buildings that we are going to explode in a few weeks (excited about that). I have ordered After Effects to take care of some of the smaller effects. I hope to have a full cut by February. We shall see...

Then, we will look at doing some test showings in March or so in places that know nothing about the film (thinking of Denver and Dallas for starters). I remember sitting through a test screening of The Work and The Glory in Richmond, Va. and learned a lot from that experience.

I am putting off release till September, for several reasons. The main reason is that release of an independent film is best in the winter (Jan-March) and the fall (late August-October). I am still hoping for a decent distribution deal from someone, but I hear that times have changed since I released Handcart 8 years ago. The days of making a film, getting it into a film festival and getting picked up are not at fruitful. The internet has much to do with that. So I must take my skills of producing the most successful ad campaign on the internet (Will it Blend) and use them on this film.