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Reynard the Fox

Tonight my Dad gave me an old program to a puppet show that he took me to in Atlanta back in the 1970’s. I remember that it was a production of one of Aesop‘s fables: the Fox and the Grapes.

What I didn’t know about the show hit me right between the eyes when I opened it… the very first person listed in the credits was the Technical Director, Dwight Creel… as in my friend and former boss, Dwight Benjamin-Creel.

Interior pages of program for Reynard the Fox by the Atlanta Children's Theatre.

If you’d like to see the program in its full glory you can download it from this link!

Download ‘Reynard the fox’ program (PDF)

There They Go Again

I hope it isn’t true but I just found out that the guys who host Atlanta’s 96Rock morning radio show “The Regular Guys” (Larry Wachs and Eric Von Haessler) may have had their show cancelled for the second time in two years and I’m not very happy about it. The occasion of their first dismissal was due to FCC fine-attracting audio, sloppy engineering and the lack (or patent misuse) of a tape delay. Their employers, the increasingly-loathed Clear Channel Communications, kept them off the air for over a year. Upon the duo’s return, much of the foundations of their original Atlanta format had been pruned back severely: several (arguably) popular sidekicks had been jettisoned, lost to other timeslots or hauled away in the dumpster. The occasion of this second dismissal is so asinine that I can’t believe it isn’t a publicity stunt (if only it were).
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2006 Dixie Film Festival

This weekend marks the 3rd Annual Dixie Film Festival, an event founded by Randy McDowell, an energetic young filmmaker who splits his time between Georgia and California. In its 2nd year at Georgia State University’s Cinefest Theatre, the Dixie Film Festival has plenty of room to grow but I have to say that I’m impressed by Randy’s chutzpah and the intensity that he and his staff have put into the festival this year. Last night I attended a screening of the film Hot Tamale, directed by Michael Damian of ‘The Young & The Restless’ fame, and was delighted to observe the very first presentation of The Magnolia Award to actor James Best, for 50 years in the film business (you can view the video I shot over on YouTube). Mr. Best also screened a short period piece entitled ‘Hell Bent for Good Times’ (I only spotted one anachronism).

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Cardboard Stormtroopers 2006

Update: Now there are videos about us on YouTube! Take a look at us in the DragonCon Parade, here’s a closer angle and here’s the news report where Alfeo and I are interviewed. Track all the new photos of our costumes on Flickr! If you’ve missed earlier posts about my cardboard robots don’t miss reading about how it all started, our 2005 box costumes, the cardboard underwear I made for a friend, and the challenge that led to this year’s hijincks.

DAY ONE
Alfeo, Elliott and I suited up in the parking garage of the downtown Atlanta Hilton on Saturday morning and headed upstairs to begin walking down to Woodruff Park. I was bitching everyone out, telling them to hurry up. That went over famously.

Exiting the elevator, I figured that the first 20 people we ran into would provide us with a good idea of how we’d be received elsewhere for the rest of the day. We were particularly worried that the “real” stormtroopers would take demonstrable umbrage at our cardboard costumes, which was never my intent.
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HotRats Reunion

Next weekend will mark the 15th Anniversary of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Architecture Undergraduate Class of 1991, better known to you and me as The HotRats. HotRats from across the United States will be flying into Atlanta to meet over the course of the weekend. In honor of this event HotRat Emeritus Channing McCleod has gifted us with images from his personal library of very early photographs of the class. Photos after the break!
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Emergency Summer Vacation

Now that film productions have returned to Georgia in droves I’m hearing from a lot of crewfolk who are getting burned out from all the work they suddenly have! They say that they need a vacation but can’t afford to take a couple of weeks off for a real trip to the islands.

Next best thing? You guessed it.
Trader Vic’s, this coming Saturday night (June 24th) from 7pm-Midnight
Dress for the beach, stay for the rum.

Trader Vic’s is in the basement of the Atlanta Hilton. Parking is underneath the hotel, the garage entrance is off of Piedmont. Parking tickets validated with purchase from the bar/restaurant.

Visit the Official Website for the Atlanta Trader Vic’s

PIRATIKI

Hey, I just learned this weekend that the nuts over at PiratePalooza.com have announced their first “PIRATIKI” for March 11th. From what I can gather from Cap’n Drew’s posts PIRATIKI is an excuse to get together with some of the pirate horde from last year’s wildly successful 1st annual PiratePalooza. I suspect that this will be a very busy year for pirates…

Box Robot Flashmob Challenge

Wikipedia defines a Flash Mob as: a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, do something unusual or notable, and then disperse. They are usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communications networks. This is the first and only issuance of my 2005 Dragon*Con Flashmob Challenge, so pay attention and synchronize your watches….
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The Time I Worked for Joe Pytka

Joe Pytka is often described as the most talented, most prolific, most influential commercial director of All Time (even with the severe ding for “Space Jam” subtracted from his scorecard). The depth and breadth of Pytka’s work is nothing short of incredible and advertising agencies line up to kiss his butt ALL DAY LONG. And Your Pal Drew worked for Mr. Pytka for a couple of days back in the late 1990’s. Of course it was an adventure….

My friend Joe Connolly (hereafter referred to as “JoeProps”) received a call from Producer Gina Cascino about working a commercial for Delta Airlines, a commercial that would run during the Atlanta Olympic Games. It was being shot in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and probably a few more cities that escape me.

Science Fiction Summer

I dropped out of the elevator, crouched low to avoid detection. Looking left and right, I rolled quickly over to the wall trying not to be seen. I’d been avoiding her for most of the morning but her spoor hung heavy in the air in this place. I knew that the big cat was looking for lunch and that she had me in mind for the main course.

She wasn’t your usual cat, this one. She stood five feet tall at the shoulder and her coat was jet black streaked with fluorescent red. Her claws were long elegant blades and she had mysterious green catseyes, but it was her black leather cape and knee-high go-go boots that were a definite giveaway that this wasn’t your everyday feline.
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