The Year is Almost Over?...

With only a few weeks left in the year I feel like I should talk about the year but I will do that later I suppose. First let's talk about Christmas. Never in my life has there been such little build up to what used to be my favorite holiday. I realize this is for a few reasons. The first is that I have just been too busy to even think about Christmas (except for the fact that my semester final film is about christmas). I mean who has time to sit and think about what to get people when I haven't even thought about what I want myself. Another reason is the weather. I mean seriously, who can go christmas shopping when you don't even need to wear a coat to go outside. I realize that the mid-50 temperatures we have been having here in NY are warmer than MI, but still, there's not even snow on the ground in michigan. It just doesn't feel like christmas when I have yet to see a single snow flake. The last reason is that now that I live in NY, there is nothing around that reminds me of the holidays. Everyone is back home in Michigan and so is our tree, christmas lights, cold(er) temperatues, ice and evergreens not being sold on the side of the road. In an effort to remedy my situation I walked over to Rockefeller Center (actually I was location scouting for a scene in my movie). It was the first time I had been down there since the tree lighting and I must say, it was pretty cool. Very nostalgic even though I have never been there at christmas. Riddle me this: is my lack of christmas anxiety/hype/euphoria because of the reasons I've listed above, or because I'm getting older?

I'm currently watching VH1's top 40 of '06 and it reminds me of MTV's top 100 videos of the year that I used to watch religiously on new years eve. Do they still even do that? If I didn't already have plans I would definitely stay home and watch if it was still on. As my first semester of school comes to a close, I am amazed at how much i have learned so far. It has happened to naturally over the last few months that I almost don't notice. I guess the only way to do something like this is to immerse yourself into it 100 percent for a year. I am excited to see where I'll be 6 months from now and what my upcoming projects will be like compared to my early ones. I can already see the difference between my last project and this one. This is the first one that I have had everything planned out and prepared for, dialogue, actors and a script that I wrote. It still blows my mind that people would audition to act out something that I wrote and directed.

Okay, I had a lot to say before I walked to my computer but it all escapes me at the moment. I will probably try again in a few days after production week is over. As always, get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Go big or go home. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Carpe diem.

Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.

I'm out like the Wii
-M, p & z

oh ps - I can't figure out what to get my mom or dad for christmas, they are notoriously impossible to shop for. Any suggestions of what you are getting your folks? Also, if you are gonna be in nyc for new years and want to hang, let me know asap, we're going to a bar that will be sold out of new years tix any day.

A Clogged Toilet...

First of all, a couple people have suggested that I may be a hazard in the kitchen. Now, while I can't argue the facts (me burning down a kitchen and last week going to the ER), I can put it into context. Many students and young adults simply do not cook, and no, anything that comes in a box or prepackaged does not count as cooking. I enjoy cooking and grocery shopping, and fresh produce and such in my meals is key to having fun. My point is that I cook a lot. More than most people. So by sheer volume of meals cooked there are bound to be some mishaps along the way. Bill, how can you injure yourself when the foreman grill is your savior, and Kelsey, you live at home - when was the lat time you cooked? You can't injure yourself if you don't get in the kitchen. Not that I took offense to being banned from the kitchen by both of you, I agree I should not be there unmonitored, but I just wanted people to know that injuries are bound to occur, espescially when you are as big of a bad ass as I am.

In other news, my brother was here over the weekend. Well, not here as in he stayed in our apartment, but in NYC - staying somewhere else. Anyways he was in my apt. for about 5 minutes before the place fell to shits - literally. After a night of drinking and a hearty brunch, a few people came back to our apartment to play some Nintendo. Muki had to use the bathroom and emerged 15 minutes later claiming "I didn't break the toilet, but it won't flush." Dax and I agree that if it was working before he went in, and broken after he came out, then logic points to him breaking it. Regardless of how it was broken there were many attempts to fix it over the next couple hours and it ended with Graham on his kneed wearing a wife beater with all of his glorious plumber's crack hanging out, sticking his hand (no glove on) into the toilet trying to use a hanger to unclog it. I almost threw up when I saw this happen but the water looked clean and from what I hear, urine is sterile. Nothing would work including a plunger they went to buy at bed bath and beyond. Anyways, i have a phobia of pooping in public bathrooms (I can count on one hand the number of times I was forced to do it) so I went to home depot, got a man's plunger and beat the shit out of the toilet until it relenquished the evil it concealed. My bowels are now empty.

Other things. Brian and I held our first casting calls on Saturday. Things went awesome, we had people audition for us for about 5 hours and all in all it was a success. It was very exciting being in charge and having people try out to be in something I am making. Like I am so cool, I have to pick and choose who I am going to allow being awesome with me. Anyways, good times. I am almost done casting for my film except for one part but hopefully everything works out and I will post the finished product in about a month.

Anyways, I have an insane amount of work to do so I will leave you now. Remember, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kicthen. As always, get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Go big or go home. Pain heals chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Carpe diem. Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.

much love
-M, p & z

oh ps - anyone going to be in nyc for new years let me know (kelsey, you know you and dave want to come). I have a large couch. Also, if anyone wants to be an extra in a movie let me know, we could use a few people.

Worst Week Ever...


I can't name a single person who isn't having a bad week. I'm not sure why but for some reason, everyone is having a crap time. So far this has taken me over 3 minutes to write these two sentences. Why? you ask. Because yesterday I decided I felt like cooking, so I went to Whole Foods and got a bunch of food and got in the mood to cook. I picked up Superman Returns and had dreams of watching it while I ate dinner. Alas my plans were foiled as me cutting food, quickly turned into me in the emerency room and leaving 2 and a hlaf hours later with 5 stitches in my palm. Now I admit, I do look like a bad ass and except for the time they stuck a needle in my open wound, multiple times, it didn't hurt at all. Today, however, my right arm was dead ( I had to get a tetanus shot ) and my wound also has this numbing, dull, constant pain, that doesn't hurt really, it's just very very annoying. Obviously, my 'bad week' is nothing at all, much worse things have happened to other people. I just wanted to mention it because I have never had to go to the hospital for anything. I tried to make some Grey's Anatomy jokes but the doc wasn't buying it. Too bad Izzy wasn't me doctor...

Anyways, short blog because it's hard to type. Have a safe week. Be careful out there. As always, get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Go big or go home. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Carpe diem.

Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.

much love

-M, p & z

oh ps - here are some pics of my hand. Also, I will upload that video I asked you all to come up with an idea for very soon.

I Make Popcorn Flicks...

For those who don't know, a popcorn flick is a movie that is meant to entertain, not provoke some deep conversation about the state of the world. I, as a director, am not concerned with making characters wear certain colors to match some idealistic version of what I think the character represents, nor do I really care about making something that has some agenda to make a point about the human condition or a social commentary. I make, or I want to make, movies that make people laugh or cry or both. Movies that are great, but not in an artsy way. Don't get me wrong, I would love to pique the curiosity of someone's mind and make people contemplate their own lives, but you can't plan that. All you can do is make something that is real enough to make people relate to it. I think people in film school get into terms and labels and want so badly to be indie and fresh and innovative that they do everything they can to distance themselves from 'Hollywood.' I, on the other hand, embrace Hollywood. As much as I dream of being able to make anything like Wes Anderson (royal tenebaums, etc.) or David Russel (i heart huckabees, three kigs etc.) I want to make a movie like Bad Boys. I want to cast The Rock in a movie, I want to make Zoolander II, I want to have CG in a movie. My point is that there is a lot of emphasis on making things real and explorative and deep, but I just want to say that that is not who I am, and the only thing worse than people who try and make an artsy movie, are the people who try and make one even though they don't want to.

Sorry that was a random rant that may have made absolutely no sense. Moving on... This is the first time in my life that I have had to pack luggage to go home for thanksgiving. It's quite sad, the thought of packing to go home. I guess it had to happen eventually, that I move far enough away that I don't drive home, but it is still a weird feeling. I am glad I am finally going home though, this is the longest I have gone without being home (two and a half months) and I am getting pretty homesick. Here are some predictions about my trip home, the first thing my mom will say is that I look skinny and I am not eating enough and therefore also not dressing warm enough and not sleeping much. This will invariably lead to a talk about school, how they don't understand my movies and why I didn't make something Spielberg worthy, which will of course lead to concern over my ability to get a job after film school is over. Anyways, it will make me feel right at home which is what I am looking forward to. I also assume that I will have to rake at some point, and probably replace every bulb that is out, fix the printer, turn off some valve in the basement and lift something heavy. I'm excited.

I think I want to see every movie that is out right now. The most important are Casino Royale, Happy Feet, Fast Food Nation and The Prestige. I have seen Stranger than Fiction and Borat, both very good, but I will try and see the rest at home because it is literally half the price.

I missed fall which is infinitely sad. I went to the park a couple times to try and get a feel for autumn, but the leaves never really changed, they just sort of fell off. Anyways, I may blog from poho but maybe not. This is shaping up to be the best Thanksgiving ever. It was already the best holiday ever, but now with not only the Lions, but also the Pistons playing and a special extended episode of Grey's, I am gonna be in heaven. Have a happy turkey day and I'll catch you on the flip side. As always, get your feet off the ground and reach for the stars. Go big or go home. Pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever. Carpe diem bitches.

Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.
i'm out

-M, p & z

oh ps - go download Ingrid Michaelson, her new cd Girls and Boys is awesome. You may have heard her on last weeks Grey's. She's from Brooklyn and rocks. Or get on myspace and search for her website. Somewhere between Rilo Kiley and Regina Spektor. Very nice.

pps - does no one else agree with me about Lucy Liu. That pic is pretty bomb, right?