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Update: Sam is incredibly hungry at the moment because he ingeniously decided to only have one meal the entire day. He is thus writing this post while munching on chips (in case you were wondering).

Update #2: Sam is mad due to the Emmy’s the other night.

Update #3: Due to the previously mentioned extreme hunger, Sam’s anger has been increased 100 fold regarding this.



IMPORTANT: For your convenience, parts of this post have been written in the 3rd person. And here commences the post:

First off, what the heck? No, seriously! What the heck!?

• What is Sam talking about here? Get caught up on the info about the Emmy’s over here and here. Note: this ends the 3rd-person portion of the post.

How did LOST not win? Not only how did they not win everything, but how did the most anticipated television season/series finale of the last decade not win a single award? Not even Terry O’Quinn?? I mean, Aaron Paul? Seriously? Bryan Cranston I can totally understand beating Matthew Fox (though I love him) for lead actor in a drama, cause Bryan Cranston is a pretty incredible actor. But Aaron Paul beating BOTH Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson? That’s just… *choose your expletive combo*. While I am in awe of both Terry and Michael, Terry was the clear winner. He essentially played three separate characters in the sixth season alone (pre-Island Locke, post-Island Locke, and the Man in Black), and in such a way that I was taken aback multiple times.

I’m almost tempted to say Aaron Paul won because both Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson have won in previous years, but that excuse is crap, cause Mad Men has beat LOST in best drama for the past few years in a row. And yet again Mad Men beat LOST in the Best Drama department. That. Is. Crap. Sorry, had to say it. LOST has something no other series on the list has, an ending. It’s done. The LOST team ended LOST, and just how it should have ended. The finale did what the perfect finale should: it tied up every important character thread since the season, and finished answering nearly all the questions we posed in the first two seasons. It brought the series literally around full-circle, ending right where it began, in the same way the great epics of literature do. It was an immensely symbolic action, and for me more than anything finalized LOST’s place in television history. It began with an eye opening, it ended years later with that same eye closing in the same location. It was beautiful. It made everything in the last six seasons worth it. And it deserves recognition.

Yet here comes Mad Men. And what is Man Men anyways? Most people seem to make the same statements every year: “Oh, well Mad Men beat out LOST for Best Drama again. I mean, I don’t watch Mad Men, but I guess it’s good or something.” Nobody watches the show.

I have seen an episode of Mad Men, and honestly I didn’t like it that much. I’m sure there’s something good hidden there, but it didn’t soak me in, it didn’t make me feel invested in anything or make me want to keep watching. As my friend Will puts it, “From the first episode of LOST I watched, I was sucked in. I just realized these were pretty amazing characters.”

And HOW did LOST not win for cinematography for “The End”? As a photography enthusiast myself, my mind was blown after seeing the series finale. Some of the lighting, the mood, and the shots were beautiful. LOST should have won for just the shot of Locke staring out at the boat in the ocean with the storm rolling in. It was moody, crazy, and exactly what it should have been.
And how did “The End” not win for writing? I mean I’m sure the Mad Men episode “Shut The Door. Have A Seat.” had great writing, too. But Damon and Carlton did the impossible: they ended LOST. Correctly. They deserve an award all of their own for that! I figured the fact there was a whole thing where the Emmy’s allowed the “too-long” series finale to be accepted anyways was a pretty sure sign LOST was going to win.

I feel like Mad Men and Dexter beat out LOST for the same reason the academy award for picture of the year is always given out to a R-rated film which deals with what some self-proclaimed intellectuals would like to call “more serious, adult scenarios.” Nothing frivolous like time-traveling bunnies, island deities, and love after death.

Of course, after complaining about LOST I could go on to the other categories, such as how the heck did Jim Parsons (from Big Bang Theory, which you prob also didn’t know) beat out Steve Carell, Alec Baldwin, and the great Tony Shalhoub for best comedy actor? Tony Shalhoub deserved it for his great final season of Monk in my opinion.

And going back to the best supporting actors in a drama, where oh WHERE was the mention for John Noble as Walter Bishop?? Besides Terry O’Quinn he deserved it most of all. All of you should go watch the Fringe episode entitled “Peter” for yourselves. He is a truly brilliant actor, who is not getting the recognition he deserves. And once again, I can only think it’s cause Fringe is a sci-fi show. As such, the actors and drama cannot be treated seriously. That’s dumb, and shows a serious flaw in the award-system. Cry all you want. It’s flawed.

Basically I’ve LOST (haha, get the pun?) all faith in the Emmy’s, and it’s going to be very hard to get it back. However, even so, this doesn’t change my opinion of LOST in the least. LOST changed the way television can be approached, and that’ll always keep it special.



Happy Trails and Namaste,
Sam.



PS – Post-rage, I realize some of my comments about Mad Men being unworthy and the Emmy’s being “dumb”, “incredibly flawed”, etc. were probably a bit harsh…. ah well!

I just yesterday finally got my new phone. It’s the Droid X by Motorola, and it’s my first 3G smart phone. I figured I would give my quick thoughts on it, and what better way to do that than using the phone itself to write this post? First off, it’s an Android phone, though as far as I am aware, the new Froyo update is not available yet for the device. Not that I really care, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyways since I just got it.

Previously I’ve only had experience with the iPhone/iTouch OS, so Android is something new for me. But back to the device…

It has a huge screen at 4.3 x 2.sumthin inches, which my abnormally large fingers love. At first my biggest concern was the fact it has no keyboard. Due to my previously mentioned fingers I usually need some sort of QWerty keyboard. However, as you can see it’s actually a bit of a non-issue because of the large screen.

The camera is 8 megapixels and takes HD video. The camera is pretty good for a phone, though I won’t be throwing out my standalone camera (if i had one).

All in all it’s pretty great, an i’m already being converted to the Android… which is saying something, cause for a long time I supported the iPhone OS. I have faith in Google and Android, and the openness of the Android OS is something I totally dig.

Happy Trails and Namaste,
Sam.

And thus is begins. Another year here at Mary Washington (I was tempted to say Hogwarts). I’ve been able to get most of the classes I want with the exception of one class time. My schedule now consists of (in no real order):

So why Arabic? I dunno, it seemed like a cool thing to learn. Not many people know it, and if I ever wanted to throw away my current chosen career and take up international relations, I’d be pretty set. Or maybe if I make a movie about the Middle East…

Am I glad to be back? Yeah, def. Sure, I miss the summer, I miss all my friends and the music-making/movie-watching/adventuresome shenanigans, I miss TiVo, I miss my family, and my little dog Fred, but Fredericksburg is great and like my second home. So there’s your answer to your unasked question. Now I gotta run, take a shower and head to my 9:30 class…

Happy Trails,
Sam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni9TupES6OY

It’s gotten to a point where there’s an almost constant stream of them; Movies based on comic books and graphic novels. Of course, mega-famous comic books are one thing. Movies featuring iconic heroes like the old Superman and Batman and shows like Superfriends have been ingraining the big Marvel and DC Comics characters into our brains for decades. But there’s a new fad in the comic-to-movie market. More and more we are seeing films based on graphic novels and “less-known” comic books.

The idea itself isn’t new, but the prevalence of it is. Back in the day, the production of an obscure comic book into a film was very rare. And for legitimate reasons at the time. Let’s be honest: The Mask and Blade were both risky moves on the studio’s behalf. In fact, Blade really started the whole trend I’m writing about now. These movies do deserve a thanks for paving the way.

But even today making such a movie poses a big risk to the studio. Without a hero as well-known as Spider-Man or Wolverine, how are you going to gain enough public interest in an obscure comic book to make the project worth it. One of the ways the industry seems to get around this problem is simply by not marketing it as a comic book adaption. For instance, how many of you knew Men in Black is based on a comic book? Or A History of Violence? Or V For Vendetta? etc… The reason 300 did so well in theaters isn’t because of it’s fan-following as a graphic novel, but rather because Warner Bros. marketed it as a violent, bloody, action film (which it also was).

Of course, such a tactic is almost impossible when the comic is about a super hero. Hence one of the many reasons movies like Elektra and Daredevil failed. But… that’s mainly because they’re terrible movies. However, Zack Snyder‘s next film after 300, Watchmen, was marketed as it was, a movie adaption of a graphic novel about super heroes. Warner was able to get around this “rule” thanks to the fact Snyder’s 300 had done so well, and also the fact that Watchmen had already gained respect by placing on Time Magazine’s Top 100 Novels of All Time.

There seems to be a sort of shift in the mentality of the studios. Nowadays the fact that a film is based on a comic almost earns the film a certain aura of importance, or at least an expectation of quality, so to speak. (There are always exceptions, however. And yes, I am purposefully avoiding the terribleness that was Jonah Hex and it’s well-deserved failure in theaters). And the studios are catching on. Though it started slowly, it seems studios are beginning to produce more and more movie adaptions. This has opened the door for visionary directors like Zack Snyder and Matthew Vaughn to put their own spin on the lush source material.

Although I called this shift in market simply a “fad” at the beginning of this post, I hope it isn’t. I would love to keep seeing movies based on lesser-known comics. Gimme more Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim (which, I must point out, were BOTH great movies, and both of which everyone should see).

Don’t worry, my rant about this subject isn’t over yet… No you must endure many more pages of my fingers typing.



Happy Trails and Namaste,
Sam.

I just got back from a family trip to the beach and Busch Gardens. I wish I had pictures to share, but sadly I was just caught up with enjoying myself. Having a hotel room facing the beach was awesome, and Busch Gardens was much better than I remember it being. Did you know Busch Gardens was sold to the Sea World company? I had no idea! Anyways it was great, even with the predicted 104 degree heat index.

For the past few months I’ve felt rather devoid of good film ideas. We’ve talked over ideas for different web video series and such, but haven’t come up with anything solid. Even the Samuel Michaels mini-unfinished-story I worked on last semester was a stretch for me. And so we’ve just been filming more McGrimmy episodes. I guess Meet the McGrimmy’s has kinda become our semi-permanent fallback idea. My official excuse: after Will and I worked on the terribleness that “is” Island Wars for so long, I felt imaginarily drained. Not to mention how bad Island Wars as a whole was, which was discouraging.

Moping aside, I’ve been reinvigorated! Last week I ran across an old edition of “The Rebellion,” which was a book in an unfinished fantasy series I was writing as a 6-7 grader named “The Union of the Chosen”. I had forgotten how many great ideas I had, and how amazingly cool the story was. I had a whole history worked out, I had drawn maps and researched fantasy creatures, I had even written poems and songs for different groups in the fantasy world. And thus the light bulb was turned back on in my head. No, not in terms of fantasy writing, just ideas in general.

So I was hoping a trip to the beach would help clear my mind and start the creative process again. And whaddayaknow? As soon as I got home tonight I wrote down the five best ideas. I don’t want to say too much right now, but I definitely want to base a separate project off each of them eventually. Surprisingly, only two of them are sci-fi based, while the others deal with topics from suicide to neo-morals, even religion. Meh, I probably sound like a snob talking as if my projects are making an impact on the morals of our time. Don’t worry, I’m not a snob in that regard. However, I have already talked to Will about one of the projects and he loves it, so we’ll most likely start working on that one first. That is, unless we really do re-film Island Wars (which is currently being discussed). Yes, it was that bad.

So basically I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide, with only the information that more information is to come!!



Happy Trails,
Sam.

Yet another post about Will’s new album, In Flight!

Last post I talked about the design of the booklet and such. After that, however, came an even more annoying problem: printing them. We didn’t need hundreds of copies, but we still didn’t want to use our home printer ink (for obvious reasons). So I went to Staples and got some estimates on how much printing 50 booklets would cost (that’s 150 pages front and back, fyi). If we had used their paper, it would have been over $200. Thankfully, Mel got some high-quality “great for CD booklet” paper. Using her paper it was something like $145, which is a lot, but not since Will is selling the booklet editions anyways.

So a few nights ago we went and got them all printed at Staples. Too bad they got them ALL WRONG. The woman who “helped” us, while nice, was rather incompetent about anything relating to printing, and printed nearly every every page off-center. Some of the pages were even diagonal on one side! I mean, seriously, how does that even happen!? Since we couldn’t use any of it, we went back the next morning (when we knew there would be a new shift of people at the printing station), and the woman there kindly reprinted all 150 for free. She even let us keep the original batch.

We spent the rest of the day stapling, cutting, smooshing, and inserting the booklets into the jewel cases. And they turned out GREAT. In fact, I think they look awesome. So if you can get one from Will, get it. Of course, I guess you could also get it for the music on it… heh heh.

In other quick news, I’m helping out with our church’s Vacation Bible School this Summer, which starts today. I’m doing drama, playing the part of a homesick, classic english butler in Egypt. It’s gonna be epic.

OH, and I’m seeing Arcade Fire tonight in Philadelphia. So expect some news from that!

Happy Trails,
Sam.

Now I don’t often blog about things like video games… though maybe I should. I’m sure most of you have heard of a game called Portal. Originally packaged in The Orange Box Collections, it was made by Valve, the crazy people behind the Half-Life series, Counterstrike, and the Left 4 Dead series, among others. I heard a lot about the game, got really interested, and thus went out and bought it. I realize this may be old news to most, but it’s new to me!

It’s primarily a puzzle game based around the use of what’s called a “Portal-gun,” which allows you to create portals between two disconnected areas and travel between them. It’s crazy fun, and crazy innovative. You play as a character named Chell (which is a stupid name, but whatever), who is apparently a test subject at the weird and deserted Aperture Science Laboratories. The facility is run by a computer system named GLaDOS, who is hilarious. She helps you around the facility. Constantly full of wit and other subtle humor, GLaDOS is easily one of my favorite video game characters.

While at first you are simply completing tests in different rooms, you eventually begin to realize GLaDOS may be trying to kill you. It’s around this point you go on a mission to destroy the facility.

And I love it. I don’t even know why, but I’ve completed the game three times already and still want more. Portal 2 is coming out next year, and I can’t wait! So go try it out and stuff.

Happy Trails,
Sam.



PS — Since I’m now a Valve fan, I’ve started to play Half-Life 2, so we’ll see how that goes…

My best bud Will McCarry is just now releasing his long-awaited debut solo album, In Flight. He’s been working on it for quite a while, and it really shows. It’s an awesome selection of songs, and you should all definitely pick it up. Yours truly even makes an appearance on at least one song. Right now the only way to get the whole album is from him, though I’m working with him on a way to put it up online for free. Maybe I’ll even host it here on ChasingLilly.net! You can, however, check out some of the songs at either his Facebook Fan Page or his Myspace. And while you’re over on Facebook, be sure to become a fan!

In preparation for the album, our quite good friends Mel Kobran and Nathaniel Tonelli worked on an album cover for the CD. You can see the finished back cover/cover (respectively) for the album below. They did a really great job, and Mel did a great job putting it all together in Photoshop. All the elements are real, from the hand drawn planes to the coffee stain (which is actually an orange juice stain, but who needs to know?). As always, click to enlarge and by doing so, enjoy.

While they worked on the cover, I simultaneously worked on designing the inside of the album booklet. I finally finished yesterday at 4 AM, and figured I could share a few of the pages with you. But I won’t share them all, some surprises should be left for when you get your hands on a copy of the album!

In Flight booklet pages 1 & 2

In Flight booklet pages 5 & 6

I think it turned out quite well, but then again I am a bit biased. So far the response has been positive, though, so that’s a good sign. Regardless it was a lot of fun branching out into the design of album art. The awesome photos from the booklet were taken by Mel as well. She’s a photography major at VCU, so go over to her flickr or some place and support her. Another friend of mine, Billy Bacci, is also releasing an album soon (he claims next week) and has asked me to do something for him. I can smell another late-night-team-album-art-creating venture coming! Where’s my album? It’s coming…

So go pick up a copy of In Flight from Will, and I’ll keep everyone else updated on where they can download a copy of the album on the interwebz. Soon, very soon. In fact by tomorrow. No joke. I know, it’s crazy how much I’m suddenly blogging. And yes, I realize I’m just having a conversation with myself at the computer.



Happy Trails,
Sam.

Howdy. Yeah, that’s right. Howdy. It’s been too long, internets.

I’ve been all over the country in the last few weeks, and boy are you guys gonna get some long-awaited info from me this week. Might as well start by talking about how much I love the fair state of New Mexico. There’s a reason it’s called “The Land of Enchantment” (and yes, that is a rhetorical statement). Because it’s so enchanting (well, looks like I answered it anyways…)! I was over there for two weeks, and did everything from disc golf to hiking to tubing to hot-tubbing it in some natural hot springs. My cousin and I were even presumed dead twice by our parents. (Note to readers: do not walk to a river in the middle of no where, leave your phone and jacket on one side, then cross over and out of sight; just in case your parents find them and suspect the worst.)

I left my jacket on that post for a few minutes, thus claiming the mountain for Mary Washington

We hiked a mountain in Colorado up to what’s called “Sharkstooth Peak”, and it was one of the most awesome, epic things I have ever done in my life. The hike up to what we will affectionately call “the tooth” was beautiful and nice. But once you finally reached the tooth, it was a thin-aired, straight-up climb over thousands of loose rocks. The views were equally stunning. For evidence, just look below! (click to enlarge)

There are the thousands of rocks I was talking about

taken up near the top of The Tooth, the air was getting thin

Climbing straight up the rock that is Sharkstooth peak

Of course, this was just one of the many awesome things we did. I haven’t even started talking about disc golf (of which I am now obsessed)! But that’s a post for another time.

Happy Trails,
Sam.