Goodbye, Leslie Nielson and John Steakley
I need to break away from the dating stuff for today as two of my favorite guys in the world both died yesterday and I feel the need to comment on them.
The first is the great Leslie Nielson, who passed away yesterday from pneumonia (Naked Gun image courtesy of the movie t shirt category). I’m sure this isn’t news for any of you, but I want to mention how much he meant to me personally. The Naked Gun was so much fun. It came out in 1988. At the time I was probably at my lowest point in my life, having dropped out of college and gotten a horrible, horrible job working graveyard shift at a medical lab, doing dangerous, mind killing work for a company that did not give a damn about me. Ever wonder how long it takes a gallon bottle of frozen urine to thaw out? I can answer that for you.
I used to go to work at 10:30pm and do overtime until about 11am. I would stumble home and was supposed to sleep until 6 or 7. However, my best friend at the time, Eric, would come over usually about 2 or 3pm. My mom would never let him wake me up so he learned to sneak around the house and tap on my bedroom window to wake me up. He was a manager at a local Edwards movie theater and we would inevitably go see a movie for free before I went to work. We saw pretty much every movie out, and let’s just say with a few exceptions it was not a great period in cinema. We saw a lot of crap.
One day we went the theater and the only thing playing that we hadn’t seen was something called the Naked Gun. I had never seen Police Squad and had no idea what it was about. I watched the movie and laughed so hard my stomach hurt. I was totally jazzed that night at hell job, and I think I watched it three more times over the next few weeks. To this day, the scene with Leslie and Richardo Montalban in the office with the pen and the exotic fish makes me laugh my ass off.
Leslie Nielson had this amazing combination of looking serious while delivering the most off the wall, insanely funny comments. He didn’t need to make weird faces or even be in particularly weird situations to make the scene funny as hell. I have been an avid fan ever since the Naked Gun and seen all his films before and since. I will miss him a lot.
The other passing was less well known. John Steakley was an author who wrote all of two novels, Armor and Vampire$. Vampire$ was about a team of mercenaries who would go around being paid to kill vampires. Good book, and was made into a mediocre movie starring James Woods. When you consider the fact that it was made by John Carpenter it actually really sucks. It was number 55 on a list of the top 70 vampire movies. Personally I think they took too much license with the script rewrite and should have stuck closer to the story, but that’s what I say about almost all movies that are derived from literature.
The other book, Armor, is considered a classic of military science fiction and that is for good reason. I don’t remember when I first read it, but when my literature well runs low I just pull it out and reread it again. It details the life of a truly messed up guy in a truly messed up war against giant ants. He runs around in a suit of power armor that is extremely cool. The story is amazing, the writing clean and very cool, and the characters engaging and interesting.
I have probably read that book twenty times, and to say it had an influence on my life is like saying the sun has an influence on the ecology of our planet. If you have never read it I highly recommend it. My love of science fiction started with Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers (another book ruined by a bad movie) and was firmly cemented into place with this book.
Also, it seems I have a thing for powered suits of armor. It bugs me that we have advanced so much in asinine stuff like better ways of delivering porn but don’t have a powered suit of armor that I can use with jump boots to leap over a building.
Anyway, two guys who I like to consider a part of my life are gone, and the world is a sadder place for it. I will miss them both.
Nerd Dating: Spotting crazy girls early pt 3
Ok, back on the dating advice. I am sure this will make Gina happy. More tips that you may be dating a psychopath.
9. She is now, or has been, a member of some kind of cult, new age therapy group, or other kind of weird spiritual experience. Does she talk about channeling her chakras? Has she ever lived on some kind of commune? Does she seem to have an inordinate abundance of crystals around her place? Does she have a moon tattoo prominently displayed somewhere? Do discussions of animal and human sacrifices not repulse her? Then she is very likely to be a bizarre cult girl, and unfortunately this is a subject matter I am far too intimately familiar with. Basically, you will never not disappoint this girl, and she will be forever wishing you could better improve your spiritual self. Even if she is no longer in whatever she has been doing, odds are her personality will compel her to get into something else. Also, there is a good chance you will get sucked into it and end up dancing naked under a full moon and bathing in chicken blood.
10. Is she a strong advocate of one of the third parties? I don’t have a real issue with people who want to vote third party, but if she is gung ho for the Tea Party, Green Party, or Libertarian Party that believe me when I say dating her will be anything but a party. These people tend to really believe in what they say and if you don’t agree with them then that must mean you don’t understand and the only cure is to be lectured at continuously. If you make the mistake of agreeing with her (most likely in the vain hope that she will shut up about it) than you can look forward to being dragged to political rallies surrounded by other members of her party of choice who also want to lecture you continuously on the fine points of their party manifesto.
11. Is she a hard core born again Christian? This one depends on your perspective. If you are also a born again Christian than you can disregard this paragraph. If you are not but think you can get past it, prepare for disappointment. Christians are not a problem, but the really hard core true believers are nothing but headache. I don’t think I should get too into this, except to say I recently had an experience in this area that has reaffirmed my belief in this point.
12. Does she constantly ask you “What are you thinking?” Women naturally set traps, and this one is the tiger trap filled with punji sticks, scorpions, snakes, tigers, alligators, and burning napalm. Every woman will ask this question once in a while, but if she regurgitates this gem every time you look out into space like a dog returning to it’s own vomit it is a problem. There is never a good answer to this one. If you think fast and say something like “How great your smile is” than that will only encourage more 
of the same. If you tell the truth (Battlestar Galactica, if you locked your car, her breasts, the waitress’s breasts, who would win in a fight Deadpool or Punisher, or how best to get her alone at your place) than she will have the excuse she is looking for to be hurt. (BSG image courtesy of the television show t shirts)
By the way, if you are a girl reading this, if a guy really wanted to tell you what he was thinking, his lips would be moving. The answer to your question will either reek of insincerity or just really annoy you. Don’t flip over any rocks if you aren’t ready to deal with what you will find underneath.
More tomorrow.
Interview with Firefly veteran Danny Nero part 5
This is the last part of the interview with Danny Nero. Danny has been a great sport and a super guy. Here he tells one of the best stories about a certain actor who played a certain captain in a show we all love (no, it’s not Shatner).
D: Any last funny or insightful stories from your career you would like to share?
Danny: It was just about a year ago I was working on a “cross-over” episode of Gray’s Anatomy & Private Practice at a different studio in Hollywood. It just so happened “Castle” is shot there and I wondered if I might bump into Nathan Fillion. I got wrapped early and decided I would find Nathan if they weren’t on location. When I caught sight of Nathan’s stand-in, a great guy by the name of Carey Johnson, I knew I was in luck.
I watched Nathan shoot a scene on a rooftop set with a green screen. I felt a little guilty that I’d never watched the show before but I don’t see most of what’s on TV these days. When he was finished with that shot, he came down and I surprised him. Big hug and he insisted on introducing me to the crew and cast which I didn’t know including the lovely Alyssa Milano. (Melrose Place image, which Alyssa stared in, courtesy of the television t shirt category)
He took me on a tour of his NYC apartment set and took great joy in showing me the infamous “catalyzer” from the “Out of Gas” episode of Firefly. It sits inside a bookcase. I pulled out my iPhone and reminded him that the last time we worked together on “Drive”, we both were intrigued by the news that Apple was going to have another hit on its hands. He saw that I didn’t have a case for mine so he had me follow him into his trailer and had me pick a new case from a selection on his desk. What a guy right?
D: That is so awesome. It makes me happy to know that the actor behind the character I love is such a great guy. Danny, thank you very, very much. I am sure our readers have really loved your stories and insights. I look forward to seeing you in future projects.
Interview with Firefly veteran Danny Nero part 5
More with the incomparable Danny Nero. Here, in addition to everything else, he talks about working on a horror movie great.
D: What other shows have you worked on?
Danny: What other shows have I worked on? Did I mention I started back in 1981?
Actually my first time in front of the cameras would be back in 1958 when I was one of several children working on the Christmas episode of “The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show”. It was a popular variety show that aired weekly on NBC and my mom was part of his backup singer/dancer group called “The Top 20”. I have a shot from that if you want it but I’ll have to dig for it.
D: Please. That would be great.
Danny: Anyway I am on the floor of a living room set as mom and the other 19 adults sing some Xmas songs with good old Ernie Ford and the special guests Jon Provost and Lassie. I was 6 and don’t really remember much about that performance but watching the DVD made from a kinescope, you’d swear we kids were there at gun point! That was back in the days of live TV so we did a show for the East Coast and then another for the West. Mom had a nice 5 year run on that show.
Years later she joined the Screen Extras Guild and did very well as a “Dress Extra” for over 30 years. She’s probably best known for her small part in the original “Poseidon Adventure”.
So back in early ’73 she gets a 3 day call on a film at MGM that would also need dozens of non-union extras so she suggested me. It was “Soylent Green” and we worked in scenes in a NYC cathedral where we were camped out on the floor. It was actually Winter when this was shot but they sprayed all of us with glycerin to make us look sweaty. Chuck Connors was playing a hired killer and I remember him stepping on my hand in one shot. They had to cut when he apologized to me.
Watching the film later made me grateful that I wasn’t involved in the exterior riot scenes where people got scooped up. That could not have been a good time!
So in 1981 I was working for a Multi-Media company in Hollywood and some extra work on the side. My first SEG job was on “Mommie Dearest” and then “Poltergeist” a week or so later. I eventually had my own LAPD uniform and also worked as a college student, reporter, lawyer, doctor etc. Back then it was a relatively small group of a few hundred people that worked on shows like “The Love Boat”, “Dallas”, “Taxi”, “St. Elsewhere”, and “Hill St. Blues” to name a few.
From ’90-’94 I was a Casting Director at Central Casting. It was a nice group to work with but I found I am just not cut out for a desk job! I handled a 
bunch of different shows but the most challenging was “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Lots of very specific background types needed there along with coordinating the various regulars according to uniform color, gender, race, etc. that made it pretty labor intensive. A very nice production company though and they always included me on their crew gift list. (Next Generation image courtesy of the Star Trek t shirt category)
One of the last pilots I worked on at Central was “E.R.” and months later when it was picked up and ready to go into production, they requested me to work it. When they found out I was gone from Central but now working as a stand-in, they still wanted me! I worked the first week of the first episode standing in for Noah Wylie. Who knows how long I might have stayed there if they hadn’t required that all of the stand-in’s also work in picture. I have no problem doing that once in awhile but for virtually every scene? You are doing 2 jobs and getting paid for 1 along with having to be on your feet all day and scrambling to use the toilet or get some coffee. Plus a show that relied heavily on the steadicam, it would be tough to watch your actor to see if there were any changes and be making crosses down another corridor. Again it was a nice bunch but I had to say goodbye and move on. No regrets!
I did several multi-camera shows that filmed with a live audience and that was a lot of work but I enjoyed it. A few more features and Movies of the Week and then “Brimstone” and you know the rest.
I also worked Background on a fair amount of commercials back in the 80’s and that was almost always good easy money. A Bud Light spot that started out as just background as a bartender got me up-graded to “Principal” with residuals that meant thousands of dollars when everyone was out of work because of a strike back in ’88. Very good timing there!
Interview with Firefly veteran Danny Nero part 4
Continuing my interview with Danny Nero, stand in extraordinaire. The photo on the left is Danny in full demon attire with Angel star Andy Hallett (the Host) at a Angel charity posting board party. I’m sure you know Andy tragically passed away in 2009.
D: Most of the outdoor filming for Angel happened in downtown LA. I used to live near there, and it’s always fun to recognize a particular piece of wrecked transit building or warehouse on the show. They also filmed The Crow down there. However, I know from personal experience that the neighborhood is 
one step up from a demilitarized zone. One thing I admire about Joss is his dedication to his personal vision. I guess a few crack dealers and gang members will not stop him from filming late at night in a terrible neighborhood. Have you found that such concerns are truly not an impediment to his getting the shot he wants? What are some of the most bizarre, dangerous, or just out of the way locations he has dragged the whole crew to? (Crow image courtesy of the horror movie t shirt category)
Danny: If you are familiar with the series, Angel’s first season hang out was a rather cramped underground lair that proved to be a difficult set to shoot in so by the end of season 1, it was blown up with the best pyro demonstration I’d ever witnessed! The explosion on the exterior of the building took place at about 3am on the Brooklyn street at Paramount and although it didn’t make a lot of noise (that was all added in later) it did send some huge fireballs out in all directions. One unintended effect was the trigger of the fire sprinklers in the soundstage directly behind the facade which flooded one of “Roswell’s” sets. I’ll bet that was costly!
The whole crew wished we had a convenient all-purpose alley set on the back lot to use but no we had to make many trips to downtown L.A. for so many of those all-nighters. There were plenty of real live rats that didn’t enjoy us being there but they didn’t bother me. I did pause one time when a medium size rat was running toward me one night and then it vanished into a hole in front of me covered by some rags. The alleys were always disinfected by the locations guys but sometimes that wore off before the sun came up and we had to resort to Vick’s around the nostrils.
There were resident’s of lofts in some of those neighborhoods that weren’t happy to see us. We all did our best to stay quiet late at night but it’s tough when you have a small army working carrying equipment and shining bright lights and talking on walkies. Some locals painted large camera symbols with red circles and slashes through them on brick walls where we needed to shoot. One night, I was standing on DB’s mark for a lighting setup when I was drenched with water tossed from above. I really considered myself lucky that it was ONLY water! We had heard stories of other nasty things being tossed down on unsuspecting crews.
The actors were mortified that I was a target and all graciously offered their trailer shower’s for me if I wanted but I just found some dry clothes and was
good to go.
So as much as I loved the “Angel” cast & crew, when I got wind of “Firefly” in the works sometime during season 3 of “Angel”, I asked the powers-that-be to send me. We were working in the soon-to-be-razed Ambassador Hotel kitchen fighting off small creatures called “sluks” when I told DB that I was going into space with Joss and that set him off. I was one of several crew from both “Angel” and “Buffy” that were making the jump and he stopped everything for a moment to ask “And who ELSE is going over to Firefly?” God bless my dear friend Andy Hallett raised his green hand and jumped up and down which broke everyone up. I can’t tell you how much I miss Andy!
We really had become good friends and getting the call from his Dad early one morning last year was such a horrible blow. I flew back East to Boston with Dayne Johnson who did Andy’s make up and Mark Lutz who played the Grooselug and we drove down to the small Cape Cod village to be pall bearers for Andy. We who were lucky enough to know him will never forget him.
Interview with Firefly veteran Danny Nero part 3
More with Danny Nero of Firefly fame. This photo is him in a costume from the flashback scene of the Battle of Du-Khang from “The Message.”
D: You contributed heavily to Firefly Still Flying, a book detailing interviews with cast, crew, and writers that includes unpublished stories and extensive set photos. Your photos seem to be the bulk of the image portion of the book. Were you the set amateur “camera guy”? Do you take a lot of photos on all your sets? Did the producers not have any issue with that?
Danny: I don’t think I’ve ever taken so many pictures on a set as I did with Firefly but so many other cast and crew did as well. There is kind of an understanding that you won’t ever do anything with the pictures that would embarrass anyone or be a spoiler. Joss had me shoot one of the electricians riding a crane with a light that moved quickly to simulate Serenity doing a tricky space maneuver because he thought it looked cool. It was all cool for me!
D: What are your thoughts on the show itself? Are you yourself a fan?
Danny: I was and am still a fan of the show. There are always the what ifs and if onlys when a good show doesn’t make it. It sure wasn’t for lack of trying! My only regret was not finding enough shade when we went out to Sable Ranch for Jaynestown. Three long days in that sun lowered my resistance to that evil little virus lurking in so many of us and I ended up with a light but still painful case of shingles. Big Ouch!
D: You also worked with Joss on Angel. How was that show to work on?
Danny: I got the job standing-in on Angel from the original DP, Herb Davis. We had met on “Brimstone”, another ill-fated Fox show that had a pretty good fan base. I stood in for the lead actor Peter Horton and it was my first trip into the supernatural world.
(Angel image courtesy of the womens t shirt category)
I thought it was a great premise and we all felt that the show had a very good chance of making it. The network had other ideas however and I believe we just did 11 or 12 episodes. The show did require all of us to work quite a few all-nighters and that takes a little getting used to. You might begin the week with a 7am call but by Friday you had a 5pm call and it became “Fraturday” very quickly. That leaves you with a short weekend. It was good training for our next series “Angel”. So we left Warner Bros and Paramount was our new home.
Movie Review: Megamind
Ok, I know I shouldn’t interrupt the interview series with Danny Nero, but I just saw this movie and want to do this while it is fresh and the movie is still relevant. Also I have nailed down the rating system and want the chance to present it.
Like many movie reviews, I am going to award movies stars. However, unlike other movie reviewers, I am going to tell you exactly what each star is for. Each positive thing I see in the movie will get a star or two. For example, I might say “Plot was decent. One star.” Then, because I am a nerd who loves outer space and knows what happens to stars when they go bad, I am going to award black holes for negative things I see in the movie. An example might be “After the movie I felt compelled to go upstairs and murder the projectionist in an attempt to keep other film patrons from suffering as I had just done. Four black holes.”
At that point I will add up all the stars and subtract all the black holes and hopefully come up with a number between 1 and 10 in either stars or black 
holes. So a movie like Blade Runner would have like 10 stars and one black hole (for coming out with 14 different versions and making the first release the weakest of them. See the final cut if you haven’t) for a net total of 9 stars, an extremely good score. A movie like Zardoz would have like 10 black holes (plot, acting, character development, costumes, chest hair, the list goes on) and two stars (for having Sean Connery in it and for the fact that pretty much every woman in the film has a nude scene at some point) for a net of 8 black holes, a terrible score. (Blade Runner image courtesy of the movie t-shirt category)
Let’s try it out, shall we? Megamind is an animated superhero movie that borrows so heavily from Superman comics that if it were a lung transplant there would be no chance of tissue rejection. It details the adventures of Megamind, a super intelligent alien sent to earth by his parents while their planet got blow up by a supernova-I mean sucked into a black hole, and his arch nemesis, Metroman, a completely different super powered alien sent to earth by his parents from a different planet that was being sucked into the same black hole. The twist here is that Megamind, the protagonist, is the villain rather than the hero. I enjoyed the movie too much to give any more spoilers that that.
Stars first. Excellent plot-one star. Animation was un-freaking-believable-one star. Main character was very cool-one star. Main character was voiced by Will Ferrell, whom I am a big fan-one star. Main character was a villain-one star. Comic relief characters were not completely worthless but were rather actually pretty bad ass in and of themselves-one star. Dialogue was fun and well written-one star. Female supporting character was drawn as a younger, hotter version of Tina Fey (whom I already think is pretty hot looking) and basically had her sarcastic, dry personality with short haired brunette elfin-like looks-one star. Tons of super villain devices, robots, explosives, and weapons-one star. Total: 10 stars.
Now the black holes. The movie had not just one, but two comic relief characters (in a comedy, no less)-two black holes (one each). Story was kind of predictable-one black hole. While the writers can claim it’s a tribute to comic books all they want, it’s basically a Superman story with a twist-one black hole. Also, they couldn’t decide if they were writing the Incredibles or not-one black hole. Total, 5 black holes.
If you have a 1st grade eduction you can probably subtract the 5 black holes from the 10 stars and get this movies final score in my opinion: 5 stars. However, remember that there is a range of stars (positive) and black holes (negative) so really, it’s like a 15 out of 20. And that’s the last time I will explain that. Essentially a 5 is very good, as even a one star movie is still in the positive.
Also, note that there is no upper limit to either stars or black holes (just like in space). As an example, I give the Star Wars Holiday Special one star for each of the main movie stars that made the horrible mistake of showing up in it and another star for the cartoon first appearance of Boba Fett. Then I give it one black hole for every second of it’s existance-7200 black holes. Plus a black hole each for the appearances of Harvey Korman, Bea Arthur, and Jefferson Starship, with 10 bonus black holes for the wookie porn scene and 83 black holes for Bea Arthur singing. Net result: 7289 black holes.
(Please note-that is not my clever way of saying you should see the Star Wars Holiday Special for some kind of nerd cred. There is nothing good about that flick. Trust me. It would be better if you watched the Phantom Menace in slow motion every day for a month than watch that. If you ignore my advice on this you will have a cherished childhood memory sexually abused, murdered, and then have the corpse desecrated. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.)
But I digress. Megamind gets a 5 from me, which means it’s totally fun. You can bring your kids to it. You can bring a date to it. Heck, I think I’d even bring my mom to it. Well worth seeing, even though I had to watch it in 3d, which gives me a headache.
By they way, as far as that rating system goes, Copyright 2010 Dave Inman
Interview with Firefly veteran Danny Nero part 2
Today I am continuing my interview with Danny Nero, who has worked on Firefly as well as any number of other cool TV and film projects. The photo on the left is Danny’s face coming through the wall in the Angel Episode “Rm w/A Vu”. Very cool.
D: Joss has a huge nerd following. I count myself as one of those. What is it about his style that so accurately taps into the nerd psyche? Is he a nerd himself, or does he just have an incredible insight into the sub-culture? I know he is active on a lot of the forums. Does he follow the trends and have an idea what is hot, or does his understanding of the group allow him to force the next hot thing to happen?
Danny: I don’t think I ever heard Joss refer to himself as a nerd but can’t imagine that he wouldn’t! He is so in tune with popular culture and what stories people like to see.
D: Do you find him approachable at work? For example, if you had an idea for the show you thought worthwhile would you be able to suggest it to him or one of the actors, or is that not really an option?
Danny: He’s always been very approachable but you really have to find a moment when he’s not conferring with writers, producers, and actors! I don’t remember ever making a suggestion to Joss but I know he’s consider it if it was valid. There was an episode of “Angel” that was a flashback to the early fifties where I did make a suggestion about the authenticity of something (a prop telephone) and director Tim Minear overheard me. I was immediately sorry because he made the prop people find another phone and that made their job more difficult and there are only a few phone freaks like me out there that would know the difference!
D: You worked on Firefly and also on the movie Serenity. Did you see a difference in production values between the TV show and the movie? Was the movie better funded and therefore had bells and whistles the TV show never had?
Danny: Yes there was a big difference between working on Firefly and Serenity! You’d think the feature budget would make the TV one look puny but not so much! The Serenity cargo bay was actually bigger on Firefly on the Fox lot. It was pretty close to the same size for the floor area but not as many levels high. The exterior of Serenity was also larger on the Fox lot than the one built at Universal for the feature but I doubt anyone would notice that on film. There was the luxury of time to spend on great lighting setups and camera movement that was frequently a compromise on Firefly. I wonder what your readers have to say about the “look” of the 2 shows. They were shot by two different DP’s or Directors of Photography and each guy has a different way of lighting and use of lenses and even film stock. I haven’t compared them but I imagine others have.
D: On the set did you interact with the actors much?
Danny: As for the actors on Firefly, you really couldn’t ask for a nicer bunch! The work days can be very long and it’s no fun being trapped with a bad group from any department! I have been so fortunate to have worked with such great people over the years! I think Joss does a great job choosing actors that are so talented and fun to be around!
Nathan is just a born comic and supplied countless laughs. Alan is very funny as well and if you’ve seen outtakes (and who hasn’t!) you get a sense that there was plenty of laughter to go around! Jewel has the brightest smile, she does 
light up most of a soundstage! Gina is the best hugger! Her husband Lawrence Fishbourne visited the set once in awhile and I remember watching Gina perform on a monitor next to him and when they cut, I had to tell him what a lucky man he is. He agreed! It was great to be reunited with Summer from our experience on Angel together.
(Angel Investigations image courtesy of the TV show t-shirts category)
They are a wonderful bunch alright and I was lucky enough to stand-in for Nathan later on the Fox series “Drive” that sadly lasted only 6 episodes. I am so glad for his success on “Castle” even if I was already committed to doing another show.
Adam I’ve run into on “Chuck” a couple of times and he’s been very supportive. He took me into his dressing room several months ago and showed me the finer points of Twitter!
I last saw Morena at a mutual friends Christmas Eve party with her short hair for “V”. We had a good time comparing career choices.
The rest of the cast has been elusive but there is always a chance I’ll run into them on Grey’s! My next series after Firefly was “Alias” and I stood-in for Victor Garber and Greg Grunberg, both great guys that had me working for them on many other shows and pilots.
Interview with Firefly veteran Danny Nero part 1
So a few weeks ago at the worst convention I ever did I had the pleasure of meeting a super nice guy, Danny Nero. He notice the Jayne Cobb Damage My Calm t-shirt and said “Oh, I’ve never seen that Adam shirt.”
(shirt image below courtesy of the television t shirt category)
While I know many fans who 
refer to characters by the actors name, there was something a little more familiar in the way Danny said it that caught my attention. I started talking to him and it turns out he had worked as a stand in for both Adam Baldwin and Nathan Fillion on Firefly and Serenity. Furthermore, he has worked in Hollywood for years on any number of sci fi or horror films, and has had the pleasure of working for Joss Whedan several times.
For me this was like finding a winning lottery ticket in my wallet. I asked if he would be willing to do an interview with me for this blog and he was kind enough to agree. We then began corresponding via email with me sending him questions and he responding. I have done this before and have gotten good results, but nothing prepared me for the wealth of material Danny provided me. Great stories and awesome insights into the nuts and bolts of working with Joss and in Hollywood in general.
I will now present the interview over several blog posts. I think you will all agree what a great guy Danny is (also, he gave me some great behind-the-scenes photos).
Dave: Danny, you were a stand in on Firefly for its entire run, yes? Could you describe for those readers not familiar with film production what it means to work as a stand in? What are your duties, and what function is served by your role?
Danny: Yes I was both Nathan’s and Adam’s stand-in for the entire run which I believe went from July to December. It went by so quickly! If Nathan and Adam were in the same shot together, then we had an additional guy. Being the same height of the actor is important so the camera crew can line up on you as you proceed through the setup of the scene. We watch carefully everything the actor does and then become the “2nd team” as the “1st team” goes off to makeup, wardrobe, hair, or the comfort of their chair. It saves wear and tear on them and if any changes need to be made, we give the actor the notes concerning the change. It might be just something regarding where they should look or a slight change in their position.
D: Is it a good job? Would you recommend it for any viewers wanting to work in Hollywood? If so how could one get into it?
Danny: I really enjoy the job but it’s not for everyone! It requires a concentration and focus that not everyone is able to do. It also usually only places you in front of the camera when it’s not rolling, which is fine with me! I hate seeing myself on screen! There are times on my current show “Grey’s Anatomy” that we stand-ins double as doctors but it’s almost always deep in the background. I really just got into it on a fluke when the guy who was standing-in for Craig T. Nelson on “Poltergeist 2” quit because he hated the bluescreen work in a harness on cables. It was 1985 and I had been doing Extra work off and on for about 4 years so I jumped at the steady work with extra pay for the wire work. Yes it was uncomfortable as Hell but it led to me doing the rest of the feature and every job since! If you want to be a stand-in, you really have to work your way into it from being an extra most of the time. It also requires you to be a member of the Screen Actors Guild or AFTRA. You might get lucky if you can work on a show that’s non-union somewhere. Along with height, your skin tone should be close as well as your hair color. I never could get close to George Hamilton’s skin color when I stood in for him on “Jenny” several years ago!
D: Did you work directly with Joss Whedon? If so, what is he like to work with?
Danny: I met him some time that first week of episode 1 season 1 of “Angel”. I’d heard of “Buffy” but had never seen it so I didn’t know much of the back story of the character I was going to stand-in for. I think Joss was directing and several crew members thought we were brothers! I watched him as he effortlessly set each scene both with an artistic eye and practical eye for what would be possible to do with the least amount of camera setups. That’s the luxury you have on a feature film when you can take 3 months to shoot a 2 hour film but must shoot an hour TV show (42 minutes actually) in 8 or 9 days. It didn’t take me long to realize how Joss could juggle 2 shows and who knows what else he had in development at the same time. He has one of those remarkable minds that is going non-stop and has more memory and knowledge than is humanly possible!
Nerd Dating: Dating on a budget pt 5
Before I get into the dating advice, I would like to mention that as of tomorrow morning I will be at the big Creation Entertainment triple show this weekend. The three shows are a Farscape convention, Stargate SG1 convention, and a Buffy/Firefly/Dollhouse convention all at the same time in the same hotel. As I am a rabid fan of all these shows (Firefly especially. Jayne Cobb image courtesy of the television show t shirt category) and also sell products from all these shows on my retail site, it is not only appropriate but pretty much required that I be there. If you are a reader of this blog and are near LAX this weekend be sure to stop by and say hi. I love getting in person feedback, and you may inspire a whole new post direction (especially if you are a single, intelligent, nerdish brunette girl between the ages of 29-39 with elfin features, if you know what I mean).
Anyway, let’s talk more about cheap dating. We’ve discussed how to avoid expensive stuff, how to eat, and how to not discuss your current financial situation, but we have yet to go into what to actually do while on your date. Here is the first of some great, cheap ideas.
I am giving you the best idea first, if only because it is a great date whether you have dough or not: hiking. Women love, love, love hiking. It is outdoors, typically with beautiful scenery, moderately physical without the danger of making you look like an out of shape couch potato, and costs little more than the gas to get to the trail and a decent pair of shoes. It is romantic, solitary, and a great time to talk to and get to know your date.
However, like everything else I present to you, it is not quite as simple as that. There are some thinks you need to do. Like we used to say in the Boy Scouts, Be Prepared (or as my friends from the Marine Corps more accurately put it, Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Words that I live by). The first thing you need to do is some basic research in finding a trail that is scenic yet not terribly taxing. There are any number of site out there to help you with this. I think Trails.com is pretty good, but look around. Things to consider are:
1. Trail length-pick a distance you are reasonably certain you can make. If you pass out from exhaustion 2 miles into the hike you will not really score any points with her. Also, odds are very good you will be passed out in the wilderness 2 or more miles from civilization with little to no cell phone coverage. If she has to get help for you or carry your sorry ass back you will never hear from her again.
2. Water-will it be present or will you have to hump a ton of it in? You should always bring water with you anyway but find out it it will be your little steel refillable water bottle or a freaking Sparklets jug.
3. Trail difficulty-some trails are like pleasant walks in the park (literally) while others can be like crossing the Alps without a Sherpa. Make sure there are no unpleasant surprises such as cliffs to climb up and down, log and rope bridges to fall off of, and inclines that seem like climbing up a fire escape for a million miles. Also be aware if there are any creeks or other water obstacles you need to cross on foot. Nothing worst than soaking wet sneakers and socks for the last 5 miles of your hike. Also note that just because the map says there is a creek or something there does not mean drinking water. Very little natural water is safe to drink. This should be obvious to most adults, but then I remember who I was speaking to for the most part and figured I had better be explicit.
4. Wildlife-squirrels, beavers, birds, badgers, raccoons, deer, and elk is a great thing to see while hiking. On the other hand, rattlesnakes, grizzly bears, bobcats, wolves, and mountain lions are incredibly bad to see, and by some mysterious coincidence both sets of animals seems to like to hang out in the same areas. If I have a single goal in life (besides conquest of the planet) it is to never end up as food for something at the end of my life. Also, while I would more or less not hesitate to leave any of my male friends behind as a distraction for whatever horrific denizen of the wild was currently mauling them, like most males if I had a woman with me my natural hormone levels and social training would overtake my common sense and survival instinct, leaving me wrestling with a grizzly while the girl I was probably just a few hours away from getting rejected by escaped to safety. Not that I’m bitter. (Incidentally, it has been my experience that, like there are no atheists in foxholes, there are no feminists when it comes to determining who gets to go Greco-Roman with a cougar and who gets to run to find more help). With these thoughts in mind, keep local wildlife at the forefront when picking your hiking path. Be aware, there is no wilderness area on this planet that doesn’t have something both capably and eager to kill you.
5. Check what hunting season it is, and wear something brightly colored (red, preferably). You don’t want to get killed by some hillbilly redneck for the sin of wearing a brown coat during deer season. Although it seems like most of them are drunk off their ass anyway, so if something vaguely human sized is in season maybe you need to look for an area where hunting is not permitted.
6. Finally, be sure to check the weather and dress/prepare accordingly. While the idea of a hike through a light summer shower might sound romantic, it is pretty common for those light summer showers to turn into torrential downpours pretty easily and make your trip miserable. If the heat will be higher than high 80’s bring extra water and/or just reschedule. Also, always bring sun block, sun glasses, and a hat of some kind. Don’t look like this is your first time off pavement, whether it is or not.
That’s pretty much it. Other than all the prep work and worry about something trying to kill you hiking is a great activity and makes for a wonderful date, followed up by that all important cheap ethnic meal later that night.
More activities next post.
