Warning: Some Violence and Much Strong Language.HE WROTE: In The Beginning
I was thinking this morning of the first booksigning Jenny and I-- her and I-- did. It was on Long Island. Way out on Long Island. I was reminded, yes, naturally, of the Seinfeld episode where George drives his dead fiancees parents to the tip of Long Island pretending he had a house there. Anyway-- it seems like forever ago. As the Grateful Dead say: What a long strange trip it's been.
In the beginning we had a cocktail napkin with notes Jenny scribbled- she denies this, but it's true. The Kukumu Bar in Mau-- and no, they weren't serving alcohol yet. A woman who runs a B&B or a film producer. And I teach The Original Idea: have something that will send a shiver down someone's spine. Yawn. Then we had a food critic and a hit man. Which Jenny is still wrestling with on her whiteboards as you know from her web site.
Now we have a former mercenary turned head of security; and the vice president of guest relations at the most exclusive resort in the world. They aren't going to like each other much when they first meet. He'll be dirty, grungy, bloody, and just wanting a cold beer when he gets off the floatplane. She's be cool, calm, collected and sharply dressed, waiting to greet the inbound movie stars who are having a clandestine affair at the resort. Sparks will fly, mayhem will ensue. In my Hollywood pitch I'm calling it "Moonlighting, with a darker edge and more action, in a resort setting."
Back to the cocktail napkins.
54 Comments:
Moonlighing - great show. I watched it religiously when it was on. Really I did. Back in the day I actually watched a lot of TV. Not so much anymore. I have like 8 shows on DVR I need to watch. Including last weeks The Unit - but I must say, I do like that show. Back to Moonlighting. Great show. Great Characters. The comentary is excellent on some of the DVD's.
And somehow I don't think the strange trip is over just yet...maybe just beginning.
I agree, Jen. I think this ride's just getting warmed up!
"Now we have a former mercenary turned head of security; and the vice president of guest relations at the most exclusive resort in the world. "
And with that cruel teaser, the agonizingly long wait begins.
And now I'm off to TOTW with a few CBs.
Are those cocktail napkins the same ones that double as clothing? Talk about arcing a motif.
Do the napkins have a motif of their own? You know how some napkins have a pattern of fall leaves, or birthday greetings or really bad one-liner jokes?
A motif within a motif.
So Bob, are you going to share with us that spine shivering Original Idea on this one? Because that’s really not very nice to tell us you have something that could, you know, do that, and then not share.
bw
So we are still breathlessly awaiting Agnes and the Hitman, and Bob comes out and teases us about the next book, Moonlighting Dark. Oh Boy. Bob, book done yet?
I just wanted to be the first to ask.
Here comes the hotel caper.
So what happened in the scribbled napkin?
oooooooooooooooooooo. i like it.
shoshana: if they ever find it, they could auction it off to CBs.
I was making up my Christmas book list and woe is me, no new Mayer, Crusie, Doherty, Donegan or CrusieMayer collab will be available for under the Christmas tree. :sigh: Then there's this tease from Bob about the hotel caper. is the hero Xavier? I'm worried about him. Being cut from Agnes might turn him into a celibate monk assassin.
CMS - I don't think Xavier was cut, they just took away his POV. That's what I understood anyway.
btw, Dee and RSS say hi (g).
Nooooooo!!!!
Bob, don't do it!
Listen to your Auntie Mary here.
Two points you need to consider:
What is the one act that has to occur between a hero and a heroine in an adventure story that is described as a "romantic" adventure?
What is the one thing that 99.986% of all fanatic Moonlighting viewers agree completely ruined the show?
There's a fundamental flaw inherent in having a story that's even remotely romance-tinged being based on Moonlighting: you know going in that it doesn't have a chance. It's got Doom hanging all over it, like one of those Greek tragedies where someone has unwittingly slept with his own mother and thus ruined everyone's life. (Apologies if that's a spoiler to anyone reading this.)
Unless you have the hero and heroine manage to /not/ sleep with one another until the Very Last Page... I suppose that could work. I will wait in eager anticipation to see how you two resolve this one :)
I don't agree with mary that the one act ruined Moonlighting. I loved that show and watched it religiously.
I love your teaser Bob. Now what happens next? Are we going to have to wait a year to find out? Since you wont be doing this kind of blog anymore I guess we won't get anymore teasers either. Woe is me! Alas! Alack! I want my J&B teasers back.
A D Phrase for Bob
"Difficulties are for the most part imaginary, if we keep quiet about them they will disappear." Robert Lynd
green elqiul
Elocusionists long quotes're indulgent & usually laughable.
Arrows of neon and flashing marquees out on Main Street.
Chicago, New York, Detroit and it's all on the same street.
Your typical city involved in a typical daydream
Hang it up and see what tomorrow brings.
Sometimes the light's all shinin' on me;
Other times I can barely see.
Lately it occurres to me
What a long, strange trip it's been.
-GD
Nice reference Bob. You and Jenny are the best!
oh geez, i didn't even think of that scope dope. no more teasers? ack!
I've not been awake this late since... well, a long time. But the heart's gone into irrhythmia overtime, gives me spurts of anxiety(yes, I'm under care for said heart), and DS8 is having respiratory issues(that causes real anxiety), and the heater in the new/old house sounds like a 747 taking flightand wakes me each time I doze off, so I thought I'd check in here.
Can't wait for the new book, but will wait, get Agnes out, then the mercenary/security guy book. I like dirty, grungy, not so much bloody, but I'm open minded, and a cold beer is almost never bad! She sounds a little uptight, so I like her too!
OK- Army lost, but it was a good game, better than expected, and the first half was especially good. I salute you Bryan, a good Army salute, crisp, tight, efficient. and USMA, will always be a prettier campus. I know, that is little consolation, sometimes you just have to focus on the asthetics not the athletics. On a more positive note, USC lost!! Maybe MI can gain its rightful 2nd place BCS space again, and have another shot at OSU. ahh, hope springs eternal.
Andi - hope you're feeling better soon. That was beautiful salute by the way. All the fingers pointing in the same direction was very classy.
Moonlighting ... it wasn't the one act that ruined the show, it was the whole treatment. The writers had built up the chemistry over the seasons and then in one season let it go ppfffttt. They took out the banter and introduced angst. Basically, they got lazy.
Next up we have a cocktail napkin from the Kukumu Bar in Maui which includes a B&B reference. Those familiar with the legend behind the Crusie/Mayer writing team will recognize that the B&B concept foreshadowed the now classic "Don't Look Down" which spawned a new genre in fiction, romantic adventure. We'll start the bidding at ...
MCB - the writers didn't get lazy - Cybill Shepard got pregnant. They had to write that in, but then she was on bed rest. I think that was season four? I'd have to ask my friend who knows everything there is to know about moonlighting, kid you not. Anyway, when she got pregnant there was that season where she wasn't even on the show and the writers had to deal with it. Then the last episode was pretty pathetic, but that's because the show was supposed to go on another year, but Maddy and David decided no - so they had to come up with an end pronto.
not that anyone cares - but my computer crashed on me last night. Talk about frustration. I thought the battery had just died so I plugged it in and got it working again - but then it happened again. I spent all morning with a tech guy and I think I've got it solved - hopefully. Have to go get a new battery and a new adapter. Only time will tell. But you should have seen me last night - here's my hollywood pitch - The Excorsist meets Robots but with much more violence - yes, my head actually spun and I was possesed. When things don't just work, it pisses me off.
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J-T: I remember now that she was pregnant. But I don't think that excuses the lack of focus the last season had. Granting a lot of the show was physical comedy so that would have changed with her pregnancy. And yes Maddy being absent from so many episodes put a hurt on the show. But the last season lacked the wit and fast paced dialogue. That's on the writers. They could have come up with some great rifs on Maddy being pregnant ... instead they resorted to angst.
But that was the point. Once they slept together, there was no sexual tension, which is what fueled 90.8908% of their banter. And even at the beginning of season 4, before the real-life pregnancy became such an issue, the writers were floundering around trying to find a way to put the genie back in the bottle.
Yes, there were numerous other issues as the season went on, and having Cybill Shepherd away for much of the time didn’t help. (Actually, that was a problem in the 3rd season as well apparently. I’ve just gotten the CD of the 3rd season, and on the commentary Mark Harmon was pointing out scenes where Cybill Shepherd wasn’t there and they’d have to shoot the scene with a blond stand-in and film so that the viewer only saw the back of her head while he and Bruce Willis interacted.) All the same, the first 3 years of the show built up a strong tension between the H/H, and after they had sex there was no more tension, no conflict, no nada. Yawn.
They could have riffed on baby scenes, or for comic effect left Bruce Willis' character holding the baby, as it were, and it would have been interesting but it wouldn't have been the same show. A lot less snappy and a lot more depth, which slows down the action.
But of course Bob did say his version would have more action, so maybe there wouldn't be the need for quite as much snappy banter as the show did?
Um, McB, what's the bidding up to on that cocktail napkin? whew Looks like it's time to start robbing banks again.
uwotblne - hey, you want bilne?
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Moonlighting, eh? So are we going to get a version of Taming of the Shrew and a Very Special Christmas Episode featuring, among other things, a pack of Camel cigarettes? (That one still makes me laugh almost 20 years later, and I haven't even seen it in about that long.)
I'm excited about the hotel caper. So does this hotel cater to vampires and mermaids? (Which I suppose means it operates underwater, at night?) ;-)
Got a pub date yet? I know, gotta publish Agnes first...
pmpnzd people might pretend nothing'z different
***Semi-business***
I lost Internet for hours all of a sudden. Symptoms: The page that says can't get to the page you want. Email send and receive OK. Disabling Norton Internet Security let me get to the Internet.
Fix (for me!) Go to Norton. Disable Internet security. Click Windows Update Web site. Let it install Internet 7.0. Boot. Fiddlefaddle around with Internet questions. All's ok.
You probably don't have the problem or else you wouldn't be reading this message. But other friends and neighbors might be stuck with no Internet. Just email them with the fix.
Again - I'll have to check with Moonlighting friend - but if memory serves, the pregnancy made the writers have to change what they'd already scripted.
I'll agree that once David and Maddie slept together, the end was near, but I still believe it's one of the best written shows to date.
Jen-t said...
I still believe it's one of the best written shows to date.
Agreed! The first few season were sharp and sophisticated, and still hold up. That's what made it such a classic. It was just a crying shame that it had to go out on a low note.
I must be the eternal optimist because I don't remember the low notes in Moonlighting. Maybe I didn't see the last season because the last scene I remember is the big love scene where they practically rip the set apart trying to get each others clothes off, not literally of course because this was 20 plus years ago. I don't remember the part you are talking about with the baby.
jen t you need a Poor Baby for having computer problems. With all the writing you are doing that would be a disaster.
mcb you have a fantastic mind. You keep so much stored in your brain it boggles my mind. You can remember plots of books, tv shows and what else? It is amazing. Good for you. I, on the other hand, am lucky if I remember what day it is.
Scary stuff...my baby is about to turn 40 on the 7th. I always thought it was appropriate that he was born on the 25th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He was a holy terror. Now he is...a great guy. /.D
blue gsuqufmh
Girls say Ulysses quivered under Fates many hands.
MCB: i find most shows seem to go out on a low note. they just keeping going and going and going instead of saying "hey, yes, some people still wath it, but everybody knows it needs to end, so let's go out with a bang"
what was the soap opera that ends with one of the kid's being autistic and the whole show was just his world? i think it was one with doctors. never saw it by my mom told me the ending and i thought that was one of the best endings for a TV show (can't use it again, but creative, surprising, and unusual).
must now see the first couple of seasons of Moonlighting.
scope dope: tell DS Happy B-Day from the CBs
Scope said ...
You keep so much stored in your brain it boggles my mind.
Boy I have you fooled.
Just popped on to tell BCB that she missed one heck of a 4.5 hour lunch yesterday! We missed you!!
And to the rest of you, McB, rss and I raised a glass (or four, or five, I lost count!) to all of you. We had a totally delightful afternoon that started with Sangria and a bottle of Lambrusco and ended in a bookstore. Now tell me, does it get any better than that?
Nahhhhhh, I don't think so either!
Saw Casino Royale today. Will not provide spoilers, only that this is not your grandfather's James Bond movie. Much more graphic, but also quite good. The stunt choreographers and fight coordinators did an amazing job, as did the cinematographers. And...there's acting in this one. ;) I did have to tell a friend to let me know when I could look again in a few spots (too graphic; I'm a wimp), but I really enjoyed it a lot.
Though I found the character Vesper Lynd's red lipstick to be the worst make-up job I've seen in the movies in as long as I can remember.
so maybe i should see this new Bond. having never liked a Bond, it could be a new experience. (every time i think of bond now i think of the scene in Lucky Number Sleven- which was a funny movie with a good ending, Bob, you may like it- where...ok, this may be a SPOILER, never mind. for those who've seen it, hee hee, right?)
anywho, i'm a little crazy, what with my lack of sleep and then the loss of brain cells as i watched YouTube for the last...oh, ten or so hours (not even exaggerating). first it was just a few music videos and one had this cool scene and suddenly i'm watching episodes of the first season of an anime show.
and where the heck is everybody? almost two days and just 33 comments?
well, they finally got to the kiss (it's been building up to it for 13 episodes), so good night.
OH - okay, call me stupid - but is YouTube? Funny, just got an e-mail from a friend of mine with the same publisher and she's doing a youtube commercial and wanted to put my book with hers since we do a lot of stuff together, so I guess I should know what the heck it is - please explain!
And I can tell you that as usual I have been at the hockey rink and then turning into Linda Blair from the Exorcist. I ordered a new battery for my computer, but then saw an add in the paper for a new one for only 400$ - I'm thinking new computer because I can still use this one - and the battery from the new one is interchangeable. We will see.
Dee: Glad to hear you were able to make it after all. I'd say I was with you all in spirit -- but it sounds like there were plenty of those without mine too! Sorry I couldn't be there.
As for where I've been? Pffft. You don't want to know. In the past 48 hours, almost every single communication I've had with anyone has resulted in them being irritated, frustrated or angry. I've lost track of how many people I've pissed off (last count was about 14, but that was early in the weekend), so to be on the safe side I'm going to assume it's everyone I know. Except for Jen, who thinks I'm funny even when I'm not. Bless her heart.
Going back to my cave now, rolling that boulder across the opening. Might build a fire and stare at the shadows on the back wall for a while.
bw
OH: that show was St Elsewhere.
BCB - You are funny, and wonderful, and amazing, and the list goes on and on! And get off my foot - that is my corner! My darkness, so either move over, or get out. ((((((hugs))))))) Never apologize for being you, just for knowing me. Snort.
Jen-t - I don't know much about YouTube, but Alyssa Day has a commercial on it for her book "Atlantis Rising" that will be coming out, I think it is very cool, and if I didn't want to read the book already, I would have after seeing this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqR3P3G66qA I don't know if that will be clickable or not. Anyway, I thought that may give you an idea of how one good one is done.
BCB - thanks for noticing my class, I try! And glad you're back, but now you're in the cave. Try making shadow bunnies, those can be cheery - alright - sappy and annoying, whatever.
Back to Moonlighting - I agree with Mary, after the sex, the writers got lazy. After sex banter can be as fraught with tension and humor - just look at Jenny and Bob - they keep us hooked. The Maddie pregnancy hurt, the Bruce Willis star rising hurt, and the Cybil Shepard not being able to see past the end of her own nose hurt. But the writing was just plain painful.
and if you can believe it, the BCS completely missed the mark and Florida will play Ohio St. for the National Championship. blech. it ain't right, it just ain't right.
I know I'll stop the sports talk, because obviously I'm the jinx, and this isn't espn. ;)
Andi,
Thank you for the gracious congratulations. Army, The Black Knights*, played extremely well. I wasn't really comfortable until the fourth quarter. But that's the nature of this particular rivalry. Both teams want it so much that you're never really sure, no matter what sort of season it's been for the two teams.
* I've called Army The Golden Knights for about a week now. The Golden Knights are the Army's parachute stunt team. Mea Culpa.
The Army/Navy game was a good one. And my Seahawks pulled another one out of the fire by the kicker's boot.
But more importantly, my kitchen is beginning to resemble a kitchen again. Most of the cabinets are finished. The countertop gets installed today. The flooring goes in tomorrow. The final finishing work is on Wednesday. YAY!
jen-T, think of YouTube as a video blog open to the entire world. Anyone can post video clips, though obscene posts aren't allowed. The fun begins when visitors to YouTube think a clip is cool and start e-mailing it to their friends, so everyone starts talking about it--the much-desired "viral marketing" effect.
Bob - a Word of Warning: I was recently developing characters for a series of radio and MP3 spots, and when I described the dialogue as being like that in "Moonlighting," the people didn't get it--because they were too young and didn't really know the show! Aack.
Okay, I think it's time to fess up.
The first time Moonlighing was mentioned I went, "Moonlighting? What's that? I know I guy who moonlights as Tastee Cakes downtown. This is probably not like that though."
So for a while I just let you people talk me through it. Then you get a whole post to comment about it! I'm still not convinced I want to see the show.
I always enjoy the book more than the movie anyway :)
A glimpse into life as a Viking's fan:
Sunday dinner at my folk's house. While we are dishing up our plates, ma says, "Are the Vikings on right now?" Dad picks up his plate loaded with food and heads towards the TV, "Yeah. Come on. Let's go watch them lose to da Bears." So we did.
Ahem
"I know a guy who moolights..."
so...did anyone else get the Crusie Newsletter with the only-for-newsletter-subscribers'-eyes-only short story? ;-)
Loved it! Jenny made me smile today. And a little wistful...But definitely smiling.
I got the e-mail, but haven't had time to read it yet. This pesky thing called "work" keeps getting in the way of my reading pleasure.
I'll get there though. Something to look forward to for later.
Me - yes I did! And it seemed vaguely familiar even though I know I've never read it before. Maybe there was a reference in CFY? Or Jenny commented on it sometime?
Lori - Moonlighting was all about the banter between the characters. Snarky as hell and lots of fun. If you ever get the chance its worth watching.
Yes, Zoe told her sister about meeting Ben in a phone call in Crazy for You - though little detail - just the bit about the fountain and the mutual story-telling. Lots of fun in the very short story, indeed!
I watched Moonlighting with great dedication for years - but I, too, was disappointed by the last bit; too much angst. We signed up for banter and asides to the camera, not soap opera antics. The first seasons were great fun, however. I don't know how well they would translate to younger folk who weren't around in those days, but they were quite the thing then.
jwminkv: nope, sorry, the brain just shut off.
I posted a couple of days ago and then took it off to correct something and couldn't get back on blogger *sigh* it wasn't important anyway.
So, yay! Cowboys. Loved the game. Didn't see any others. Busy weekend.
Gorgeous days here in the desert, and freezing cold nights. Funny, last week I was swimming at 1pm and wearing gloves to walk the dog at 5pm, and lighting the fire in the evenings.
Moonlighting? Hmmm. Cybil Sheppard married a Dermatologist and lived in the same area of Encino hills that I did. They divorced and I think she still lives in the same house.
I kind of liked the show in the beginning but then it got real old real fast. Like so many sitcoms do. I've never been a huge fan of either Cybil or Bruce. But then again, I'm weird. *grin*
JJ: ol' biddy kind of answered it already; YouTube is where you can post movies you make, commercials, music videos (actual ones and ones people make using other footage), etc etc. basically, if you film something, you can put it up there. some of the things have a "your 18 right?" marker if it's "adult content". not sure what the line is for it not being allowed, but you can find a lot on there. such as anime episodes, which kept me up till 5 am (being an insomniac is not fun).
and BCB: i love ya. so come out of the cave sooner or later.
cherry tea: ooo, looks good.
JJ: ok, so here's an example using Nickelback's "Savin Me" song. the actual music video is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vel7fhrFNoY
and one someone made using their music and Final Fantasy's VII movie for footage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu4-coXpgrQ
here, something closer to what you want. so cherry tea's ex. was a good commercial (though slightly too much writing...i know, it's for a book, but your appealing to others and in film class...anyway, slightly too much writing). and here is a horrible ex of a book commercial (not to that the book will be bad, never read her before, but the commercial is):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sutwynNSWw&mode=related&search=
Diane (aka Twinkletoes) said...
Yes, Zoe told her sister about meeting Ben in a phone call in Crazy for You - though little detail - just the bit about the fountain and the mutual story-telling. Lots of fun in the very short story, indeed!
That's it! I remembered the bit about them inventing kids and spouses.
THANK YOU JENNY!
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