Shot of the Day 12.153: Tony Clifton!!!

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I can't believe I've been in Los Angeles for almost 10 years, and have never been to the Comedy Store. This venue is hallowed grounds for Comedy of the last 30-40 years, and I'm a fan of practically every comic highlighted in their photo hallway, yet I've never made it out to an actual show. At this rate, I wanted to pop my Comedy Store cherry right…

..and when I heard that Tony Clifton, the brash, brutal entertainer that was the alter ego to Andy Kaufman (just don't ask Tony), was putting on a live show at the CS, I thought now was as better a time than ever to check it out. 

I'm glad I did. Words can't describe the "so-blue-it's-black" comedy show Clifton (embodied by Kaufman writer/COMIC RELIEF head Bob Zmuda) puts on every Thursday and Friday night, but if you want to challenge the boundaries of good taste, this is 20 bucks well spent. 

How can you determine if Tony's show is for you? Would a severed head in a glass jar with a severed penis stuck in it's mouth make you laugh? If so…this show is a MUST SEE. 

Now I can't wait to go back to the Comedy Store. 

Tony Clifton 4 Life!

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.152: Vah-room.

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I want this bike. Don't tell the Mrs….or the owner.  


Yoink. Now, where does the key go?

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.151: That Damn Carpet.

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I am not a fan of these elements of any media event, if it's my own film or not. Just let me get into the theater and sit down, K? But I get why they need to be there, but usually…when I see the carpet and the lights, I run the other way. 

Here at the Los Angeles premiere of PIRANHA 3DD, directed by my buddy John Gulager (The FEAST saga) and I had a blast. Clearly, Gulager gets the tone these movies need to be. The crowd seemed to be totally into it and for a splatter flick, it was really funny. 

A fun night for sure. 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.150: Cheat Day Massacre

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Sunday is usually my "cheat day" where I give myself and my HOLLISTON diet a sabbatical and I'm not restricting myself and my food intake. Dieting is not an easy thing for this guy, so Cheat Day becomes an event: as in "What CRAP can I stuff my maw with this Sunday?"

On the way home from the movies, something compelled me to get some Ice Cream. I haven't gotten ice cream in a LONG time, let alone from a supermarket (usually I'm a SCOOPS man but they're closed on Sundays, my loss) so Ben N Jerry's Stephen Colbert flavor had to do....

...and it was gone in 30 minutes during the EXTREMELY exciting episode of GAME OF THRONES my friends Neil and Sam did this week. Maybe it was because I was rooting them on, maybe it was that these guys made a HUGE hour long battle in 1/20th of the time between when I started to shoot KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM (with Sam as DP & The Dinklage, mind you) and now. Sad thought, but that could have also fueled my Ice Cream binge. God bless Indie Film (insert heavy sarcasm here).

This morning, all I found was this....yikes. I feel like Caspar in the final shot of Larry Clark's KIDS:

"What happened?"

Happy Memorial Day,
Joe

Shot of the Day 12.149: KINGDOM comes

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I've been lucky enough to have the Free AMC card from Comic-con which allows me to see any new movie at any time, which I've been using to the hilt (I recently saw CHERNOBYL DIARIES & MEN IN BLACK 3 3D IMAX in the span of 10 hours and didn't pay a dime).  But being a Wes Anderson fan who lost interest a little after LIFE AQUATIC but had renewed faith after FANTASTIC MR. FOX, I was glad to pay to see MOONRISE KINGDOM, his new film, at the Landmark theater which is a great place to see flicks. 

I'm happy to report the movie was worth every penny. GREAT film, another love letter to innocence. If Kubrick were alive...Wes Anderson would be his favorite comedy director. 

Happy Sunday! Now, back to watching movies!

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.148: Titels On Thu Markee

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Made it a bit early to Rolfe Kanefsky's THERE'S NOTHING OUT THERE screening at the New Beverly, so we got to see them put the letters on the marquee up...which said "THING...THERE's NO THERE." Whoops.
All part of the process, right?

This was one of the first movies I bought at a Fango con in 1990 and a film that predated the "meta" horror films popularized by SCREAM, a def check out.



Joe

Shot of the Day 12.147: A tuft of Green

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Found a dollar just sitting on the grass in front of someone's yard. Not mine to take, but an interesting sight. "This mean's something", right?

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.146: LomoVision

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Psyched that Lomography, the company who makes the coolest analog cameras in the world, opened a store in Santa Monica. Love this place, and even more, love the Lomo look, which is heavily saturated colors with a shifty focal length.

Has any film been made that specifically tries to achieve the "Lomo" look? If not, I think it's time.

Check out the Santa Monica lomo store HERE.

Shot of the Day 12.145: Coastline Reflections

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Took a day, post-"event", to reflect on the thoughts and issues at hand.
Sadly, that's all I can do right now...recollect & reflect. So I had to get out of the house and some fresh air.

This is my favorite bench in Santa Monica, right on the edge of the world overlooking the PCH and the coast, and this a bench I'm quite fond of. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot more reflecting on this bench soon.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.144: Sibilance, Sibilance...

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These people have now made their opinion part of our lives; good, bad and/or otherwise.

A very interesting & revealing evening, one I'm sure I'll expound on in detail someday. Just...not now Now I'm gonna finally go to sleep.

Thanks San Diego, it was....emotional.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.143: Hazy Shade Of Monday

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Seeing plants like this reminds me of Chistmas time on the east coast. Right now, I would KILL for it to be december in New York. 


Joe

Shot of the Day 12.142: Sunday Screening Series

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Sunday's have usually been family days, but lately they're days where I can catch up with my movies. Lately, been on a commentary kick, and renting for free from the library (what am I 60?) allows me to grab some titles like SUMMER SCHOOL, ONE CRAZY SUMMER, CRUISING & FAST TIMES, which has a great commentary track from Heckerling & Crowe. Never saw LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (looking at certain Japanese actors in it for a certain forthcoming film). EXPENDABLES? Well Im giving it another shot before the sequel....

Joe 

Shot of the Day 12.141: Lucky Penny

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Found this penny outside the movie theater today. Just seeing it felt like good luck, but I didn't take it; for some reason, I thought the next guy seeing it would need it more.

I kinda wish I took the penny, in hindsight.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.139: The Strongest Man In the Building

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Here is Corrado Caretto, one of the staples of G4, doing his part to set up a set for a shoot. Seeing Corrado lift heavy items like "it aint no thang" is commonplace at 5750, but he's also a veteran of the many changes the network has gone through, so anytime I see him it feels like the good ole days. Corrado (and his lovely better half, Tori, who he also met at G4) has always been a huge supporter of my work, even covering events of mine or doing packages on things like HOLLISTON. Sometimes you might even see him flexing his acting chops (and massive biceps) in an ATTACK OF THE SHOW sketch, like his tour de force as  Kratos from GOD OF WAR. He's a true Renaissance Man in a digital world and one of my favorite faces anytime I'm in the building.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.138: Nostalorage

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Found this in storage at G4. Now that the "Soapbox" is no more since Adam Sessler, one of the icons of G4, has left, this prop from the first Sessler's Soapbox-arguably one of the biggest web franchises I was proud to be part of in my tenure as Creative Director at the website-was relegated to the crap closet.

A bittersweet discovery, to be sure. Here's one of the best of the rants. Sessler was one of my favorite people at G4; a true gentleman, never afraid to speak his mind but always very caring and generous. Also: HUGE movie and horror nut, so we were always deep in geeky discussions on and off any shoot. It was sad to hear he was going but I'm sure it was for the best.

Adam...you will be missed on any and every platform. Especially on this soapbox.

Video Games - E3 2012

If you'd like to check out previous Sessler's Soapboxes, click HERE.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.137: Another Year...

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...another annual DGA meeting.

Hey, at least they fed us. I think thats a union provision.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.135: Gotcha!

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"...Gotcha, where I wantcha...TOO LATE to turn back now!"

I hate this speed trap. I also hate that he got me once too.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.135: Deja Down (or Upside Vu?)

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Having major Deja Vu....only with a new "Global" hierarchy, better tables...and a new Evil Dead font. Don't think I didn't notice, Uni.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.134: Dutch Market

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Beautiful day out at the Farmer's Market in Mar Vista getting breakfast. It's cheat day, so off to shovel down some complex carbs, sugars and excessive dairy and throw my exercise schedule askew. I'll spare you the disgusting details, both before and after consumption.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.133: Hard Fail

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After rendering out a video overnight, I came back this morning to discover this drive, which wasn't even connected to the project, crashed.

The drive with ALL of our music on it.

Crap. What a way to start the weekend.

Anyone know anyone who fixes drives? Gulp.

Stay tuned...

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.132: Yadda Yadda-Is this on?

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Part Two of our "Wrap Up Holliston" duties, recording the commentary tracks for ALL 6 episodes of the show in Burbank at the Deluxe studios. I've done my share of commentaries before, as had Green, but the girls were new to it so it was a fun time going through the tricks of the trade (hold up a hand before speaking so there's no overlap, try to keep things moving and scene-specific, dont shit-talk-much-& never have dead space, etc) and also seeing the episodes for what could likely be the final time in a while.

Speeding through all the memories we had from start to finish was tough in many ways, both physically and emotionally as we were all exhausted from yammering on for 5 hours straight with only a few small breaks, but I think we got some gold in them thar tracks, and any fan of the show I think will learn a lot...and get a few chuckles out of it too.

HOLLISTON Season 1 will be out later this year from Image Entertainment! Details soon...

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.131: Behind The Curtain

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Backstage before our crowded panel at the Screen Actor's Guild for Holliston. What a trip, being here at SAG, two guys who are more akin to hiring actors than being them straight out, and we're now considered peers. Well that and the dues we now have to pay too, so I guess we bought our way into their good graces?

The panel was a blast, great questions all around from a VERY varied demographic (let's just say the average age was around 18-69) and while most people there hadn't seen the show, I think we made more than a few fans up there.

Thanks to everyone for showing up and thanks so much to SAG for putting on a great panel!

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.130: Itsy Bitsy...

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Who would abandon this poor, defenseless spider ring? For SHAME.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.29: Finales & Reflections

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...at my castmate/TV girlfriend Laura's house where we're celebrating the season finale of Holliston. Still in shock that it all happened, and the last 6 weeks have been sublime & strange for sure. I mean...we were on TV. On a sitcom. Shit doesn't usually happen like that. So this cast cherished every moment that our hard work and dedication brought along with the show being on TV (and iTunes!) and that we're going into a second season is really reward enough.

But here we all (kinda) are, hanging out around Laura's fancy mirror/glass table as she cooks dinner and we prep for the final Facebook Live chat of the season. It's bittersweet, but thrilling to know we'll get another shot at this and have at least one more season finale coming our way.

I just want to thank everyone who supported us and HOLLISTON this past year, I hope you liked the show and we promise to work harder on season 2, swearzies. This was such a dream come true for us that I don't want to wake up to find out its over, but even the best things have to come to an end, and sharing it with these people I love, I don't want to be anywhere else. Oh, and Laura made a fantastic steak, that was a plus.

And those who missed it? Well aside from the DVD/Blu Ray coming out from Image later this fall, the entire first season is now on iTunes for only 15 bucks in HD, what a deal! Check it out HERE.


Adios , Season 1....you were good.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.128: Grumpy Bust

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Look what came in the mail today? Nice. Wow for a movie we never thought would get any love or appreciation...guess we were wrong (in a few cases). Thanks Rondos!

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.126: Spent Casings

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Walking around the hood, happened upon some remnants of a yard sale from yesterday. Guess all the things that didn't find a home are now left out for the trash. Seeing these old VHS boxes put me into a state of melancholia for sure. VHS truly is the new Vinyl...without the retro resurgence in a few years, I'm sure.

DVD's...you're up next.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.126: SuperMoon Rising

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Spent all day working in the house, getting cabin fever (without the flesh eating virus). When I read about this "SuperMoon" I decided to actually take stock in the fact I live 5 minutes from the beach and drove out to check it out, thanks to the goading of a few friends who begged me to meet them at Zuma. So a long drive up the coast with the Beastie Boys at full blast was actually a nice tension breaker.

...and Lo and Behold....that's a pretty super moon.

Joe

Shot of the Day: Abandoned Cans/RIP MCA

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What a strange, conflicting day. Started out "Super"; a 9am IMAX 3-D screening of AVENGERS, which was top notch Summer entertainment. But those good vibes were short lived when I got a text from Bri saying "MCA died".

MCA (or Adam Yauch, likely on his drivers license) of the Beastie Boys was an instrumental component of my childhood and into my adulthood. Even if he and the other Boys were 10 years older than I, I feel like we great up together, especially since they were NY boys themselves. I was a fan the moment I saw the "Fight For Your Right" video on MTV and have been following the Beasties through thick & thin ever since. They WERE the music to our generation, and that Adam was the resident filmmaker of the crew (he would step into the shoes of the mysterious 'Nathaniel Hornblower' for these duties) made me cherish his craft more. I could go on for days about my ties to the BB and their influence on me, but this random moment, finding a lonely set of "cans" on the grass when I heard the news, felt so...appropriate.

I leave you with a video I did last year, a little love letter to both the Beastie Boys and one of my favorite 80's movies, INNERSPACE. I always had this idea in my head and one night at 3am, I just started playing. Thankfully, my friend Ted G showed the video to MCA who gave it his warm approval, so through our art, I had some form of connection to a hero. God bless art.

Rest In Peace Adam MCA Yauch. Thank you for fighting for our right. To live.

Joe




...and here is the last video MCA/Nathaniel directed, which feels like Full Circle of sorts...

Shot of the Day 12.124: ShadowPuppets

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All it takes is a little backlight and some textured glass and even the most non-threatening toys can look dangerous.

Joe

Shot of the Day: 12.123: Anonymously Tokyo

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Part of why I love going into the Anonymous Content offices (where I'm repped) is the wide array of art and photography they have on the walls. Everything from rare prints from clients to comic book sketches to even portraits from Hunter S. Thompson's private collection...its total eye candy. But I pass these panoramic shots of empty Tokyo streets and it brings me back to being in Japan shooting at 5am when the streets WERE somewhat empty, brings back so many good memories.

I miss Tokyo.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.122: The Gang's All Here...Chatting

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...at the ArieScope office tonight live Facebook chatting ("Facebooking?") with fans while Episode 5-"Laura's Little Twitter" unfolds. This was a fun experiment to promote the show and hell, a great excuse to hang out with the gang. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a fun fact about the next scene that needs to be status updated...

Happy May!

Joe