One of our favorite things...

Is relaxing with our friends by candlelight with a bottle of red and some Sting ('All This Time Live') playing in the background.

Life can be real simple sometimes, and it's pleasures even simpler.

If you let it.

Happy Saturday night everybody.

T

Pizza and Movie night...

Okay, so we didn't watch this movie with the kids last night.

They watched "High School Musical 3" for the eighth time.

But Niki and I tend to make time to watch one film a week.  Usually it's Tuesday night as that night is a little thin in TV-land where we live.

This week we watched "Bottle Shock" a festival darling from last year that didn't make much of a splash theatrically but is beginning to gain some word of mouth momentum now that it's hit DVD.

I saw it for the first time on a flight from Vancouver to Toronto--I'd just finished shooting for days on-end and treated myself to a Coors Light and a movie on the flight home where typically I'd be writing for most of the flight.

Anyway, I loved it.

In fact, I loved it so much that the week I was home I headed over to Blockbuster straight away to try and rent it.  I couldn't find it anywhere, so asked the clerk.  "Oh, it's not out yet..." they said, after I'd had them look it up on the system 'cause they hadn't heard of it.

Their loss.  And mine, 'cause I had to wait a month.

So watched it again with Nik this week and she loved it.  We'd planned to watch it over two nights 'cause we'd started quite late but ended up seeing it through.  It was exactly the kind of movie she loves.  Cool story, beautifully shot and nicely acted, some dramatic stakes but not so much tension that it stressed her out.

Story is about a Father/Son duo trying to make it as makers of fine wine in Napa Valley in the mid-1970's.  Based on a true story, it's a classic story of struggle and triumph.  In fact, 'beating the odds' and 'pursuing your dream' is the theme that runs through the 'A', 'B'  and 'C' story lines.

It's the relationships between the characters that we stay tuned for.  We want to see how the various relational tensions will be resolved.

If you like small, indie films like 'Little Miss Sunshine' or 'Sideways' but don't have to have the off-color sexualized humor you'll really like 'Bottle Shock'.

There's a wee relational through-line that doesn't pay off to 100% satisfaction but it's not so significant that it ruins the overall experience.

'Bottle Shock'.

Give 'er a try.

T

some things just shouldn't be so hard...

That's my littlest boy, Sammie, learning to ride his bike.

(don't 'ya love how he can barely see out from under his helmet?)

D'you remember how hard it was to learn to ride yours?  Scraped knees, bleeding elbows, tears and fear and disappointment.  Your Mom telling you to wait a few years, your Dad telling her to 'shush' and running behind you for days and days while you screamed at him, "DON'T LET GO!!"

Remember?

Chances are that same difficulty, those same hurts (except now on a spiritual and emotional and psychological level) assail you as you try to build your life.

Especially if you're trying to live a life less ordinary, trying to chart a course outside the margins, I bet you're finding that the process is long and hard.

Right?

And the thing is, when life gets this tough, we're tempted to start asking ourselves if we're really doing the right thing.  We get to wondering if maybe we've bitten off more than we can chew or if we've mistaken our calling.

That shot of Sammie reminded me of a couple things that I felt compelled to share with you my fellow filmmakers, Church planter/preachers and sojourners.

1) Yes, as you build your life you're going to get hurt.  It's part of it.  Remember to keep getting back up and putting foot to pedal.

2) Yes, it's possible to make mistakes and if you're hitting the wall over and over and over again you might seriously consider taking a break to reevaluate--with the counsel of your most trusted 'no B.S' friends and family--whether or not you're actually on the right path.

But it was number 3 that I was most excited to remind you of.

3) Sometimes, you just find a thing that comes so easy, it's like taking candy from a baby.  Sure you have to work like heck to get your chances but once you're 'there' (your movie is set up, your TV series is on the air, your Church exists, your business is growing...) you just sit down into it and rock it.  

If you've found that thing don't let anything stop you from doing it.

Like my Sammie.

'Cause what I didn't tell you off the top was that he got on that thing, I ran with him for a sec' and when he started shouting "LET GO DADDY!  LET GO!  LET GO!  LET DO (sic)!" I did and he just rode off into the sunset.

Seriously.  Got it on his first try while he was still three years old.

My son, the future F1 driver.

Just like you.

T

something good...

So most of today was crappy.

I did my job though, fighting through it.  We're winding down production on two of our TV series and anything to do with 'winding down' in our industry is typically a little bit less than fun.

But we're finding a way through.

Then, I got to the point in my day where I'd basically finished everything I REALLY had to do and still had some time left before I had to transition back upstairs.

(I work from a home office in the basement)

So I pulled out a script that I've been supposed to be doing a 'dialogue pass' on since August. I've been super busy and quite stressed and just haven't found the right moment to do it with the right heart.

Today worked though, and yes, the story's got something to do with the above image.  Who knew? :)

Pulled it out, finished from page 85 (where I'd left off) to page 103 then had tea with Niki then came back down to go over it again from page one.

It's a good story.  One I'd like to make.  One I think I can make for a million and a half or so and get distributed properly.

In fact, I've got a phone call with a major U.S distributor this coming Monday to talk about it.

Fire in a bottle baby.  Fire in a bottle.  That's what I'm makin', and that's what I'm sellin'.

Thank God for something good in the midst of the grind.

Thankful man over here.

T

ps: check my facebook profile out to see some of my February interviews...kinda fun.

inspiration...

And it's still minus seven degrees where I live...

Sucks to be us.

In better news, I had a breakthrough yesterday.  

(detour)

It's been said that working in the realm of ideas (filmmaking, storytelling, TV producing, preaching, entrepreneurialism etc...) is 80% walking around doing nothing.

It's true.

It just takes time sometimes for a good idea to filter down into your heart.  If you're anything like me you get several dozen 'good' ideas per day.  Naturally you can't bring each of those good ideas to life, you have to choose some to focus on.

How do you choose?

Mostly, you walk around thinking about them.  You pretend to work, and think about them. You go out to dinner with your family and you think about them.  You go to meetings and think about them.  You buy coffee and think about them.  You take your sons to get their hair cut and you think about them.

You think.

And gradually you stop thinking about certain ones and keep thinking about others.

When you do that kind of thinking for months and months and sometimes years eventually you get down to some filtered ideas that are actually good.

(end detour)

I wrote down what I believe will be our TV production slate for the next 12-18 months.

Ready?

-a half-hour bio-documentary series featuring Hollywood greats.

-a half-hour talk series mixing in-depth conversation with behind the scenes access to pop-culture icons.

-a half-hour reality series for teens mixing romance with activism.

-a half-hour travel show for families.

-a half-hour health show.

-a half-hour talk series with a multi-cultural twist.

-an hour-long dramatic series for U.S and Canadian cable.

I realize I haven't given you very much info (this is after all IP we're talking about here...) but I hope it's enough to show some interesting breadth of focus.

'Cause that's what I thought might be useful for you.

Many of us, especially those who work from someone else, do one thing and one thing only. That's all fine and good but, never mind the fact that that's not exactly a great way to build a diversified career, it's also no way to build a diversified life.

It's my belief that you and I should be more than our job.

The "So, what do you do?" cocktail party question should always be answered with an adventure.

I realize that you don't do what I do.  That's cool.  I still think you might want to consider diversifying your life--expanding your known universe.

Percolate some ideas already.  Build a bigger you.  Design some diversity into what you do, how you do it, why you do it and who it impacts.

Nothing works better in a contracting economy than an expanding humanity.

Do your part.

Your audience will thank you, your wife will love you better, your bank account will follow, you'll start loving what you do and you'll be being obedient to your calling.

T

what dreams may come...

Looks like the things I thought I'd be doing this year I won't be doing and the things I will be doing I had no idea I'd be doing.

Funny though, I had this moment last month where I felt like a still small voice told me (yes, I know, I'm crazy...) that this year would be five times busier and better and bigger than last year.

(there was even a $ figure attached...)

All fine and good except that said small voice chose to start whispering right in the middle of three months of 'depths of despair uncertainty'.

"It is ever thus..."

(so says my Dad)

So true though.  You get these hits of hope right in the middle of the maelstrom.  The question becomes whether you chose to believe it and act on it or not.  The whole act on it part (action IS character) is the intangible 

That's why all the 'self-help gurus' I've been interviewing lately insist that what you put out into the World will come back to you.  Flaky-sounding shiz I'm prone to discard until I remind myself that my Bible taught me that as a man sows so shall he reap.

Sounds similar don't it?

(humble pie, humble pie, I love gurus, so says I...)

When was the last time you had a crazy thought?  A thought that was so ridiculous you felt like an arrogant prick for entertaining the thought inside the privacy of your own mind, let alone the thought of sharing it.

Remember Joseph?  Crazy dreamer.  Made the mistake of sharing his dreams with his family.

Some things are better kept between you and God.

But keep 'em between you.  Don't discard 'em.  Start acting on 'em.

Even if it it makes you feel silly.

Keep 'em private until you're ready to show the whole World in-pulpit and on-screen!

T

The beat goes on...

So they say 'artistry' runs in families.

In my case my Paternal Grandmother always wanted to be an actress, my Dad is a writer, painter, speaker, poet, his Father was a preacher/author and my Maternal Grandfather was a poet, writer, craftsman, musician.

My brother is a singer-songwriter, my sister a singer-songwriter and writer, my Mother is a very accomplished television producer.  

My Dad's brother is a sculptor, my mother's brother an author.

Two of my cousins are professionally trained musicians, one earns his living as a singer-songwriter.

My great uncle was an author and musician, his son; same deal.

My great-great uncle was the first televised preacher in Canada.

One of my female cousins is an actress, two of the others have sung their entire lives at Church.

Oh, and my first-born daughter?

Looks like she's turning into a fashion designer.  That's her dress design up top--inspired by watching the Oscar's last night.  She did it all on her own, no prodding, no input, no nothing.  

"Look at the dress I designed, Daddy..."

Lord help me, we've made a fashionista...

T

Disaster averted...

For now.

Man, oh man, this thing I do for a living sure is a wild ride.  I keep reminding myself--mantra like--that there's no such thing as 'secure' out there.  My neighbors and their 'my entire family works at Ford...' lifestyle aren't looking as rock-solid as in times past, reminding me that even those kind of jobs and 'guaranteed pensions' are now up for grabs.

Seems like much of our life can become about pretending that we're not totally insecure and dependent.  The problem with that feeling (the whole 'I'm in control...' thing) is that it's a delusional feeling.

Even when you're not stressed about something immediate--therefore feeling 'secure'--you're not really secure, you're just enjoying the illusion of security.

Being an entrepreneur who works in show-business is about as crazy as it gets.  Church planting is a close cousin.  I routinely wonder if I wouldn't be better off putting widgets on thingy's, trading the hours of my life away for 'guaranteed' income.

Serfdom.

But, man, if I don't feel up against it some days.

I've spent the past couple days (just back from Vancouver) trying to figure out a way to finish out our current season given stark new realities that took us completely by surprise and are fiscally-unfriendly to say the least.

Once again, tasked to perform the impossible.

I did it though.  Found a way to make the numbers work.  Sorta'.  I could hear it in the voice of my business partner.  He wasn't thrilled (we are, after all, still in great jeopardy...) but he was happy.  Happy because the model I'd come up with fit with what he knew we could do moving forward.

Relief sounds nice, even if it's in someone else's voice.

Friday past I had a really good meeting.  Really good.  It was with a top network executive talking through some details on a new series for 2009/2010.  Looks like we might be making a move up the creative ladder from a straight-up 'talk television' application to a 'bio-documentary' application which is more challenging/rewarding from a filmmaker's perspective.

We hope to have that deal sewn up before the month is out.

And in other news, while shooting in L.A this last time, one of our guests took a liking to us and our work and asked if we had anything else cooking.  Funny enough, we did, so we showed him our mock trailer and he freaked--loved it--and we've proceeded (a month later) to start moving towards a potential co-production relationship on what might be a new dramatic TV series.

He's an established Hollywood TV producer with a major series currently on the air in it's fourth season, so a real 'player' and that's pretty exciting.

The point is this.

1) Even when you feel like you're about to blow, keep going.

2) Even when you can't take it no more, keep going.

Because...

3) It's along the way that you'll probably catch your breaks.

If you're on the sidelines you're out of the stream and it's only in the stream that you get to move downriver and it's only downriver where you find the sea and beyond the sea lie the endless lands and that's where we got's to be.

Right?

T

Pizza and Movie night...

I was SHOCKED to learn that none (no, not one) of my regular creative collaborators had seen this one.  I mean, you have to have been living under a rock for the past four years to not know about the High School Musical franchise.  It's a multi-billion dollar industry unto itself and has almost singlehandedly (with the addition of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) kept Disney's feature-film unit in the black.  It was directed by Kenny (Dirty Dancing) Ortega, by the way...

The only other reason I can think you might not have heard of HSM is because you don't have kids.

And that's real.  Niki and I wouldn't have watched it except that our kids were totally into it.

HSM1 and HSM2 were television events--both the highest grossing events in cable TV history--and our kids were glued to the screen for each.  They dressed up, they practiced the songs, they did their own talent show featuring six performances they'd rehearsed for a month and a half.

Just like 'FAME' was for us when we were kids.

The story is simple, boy meets girl, boy and girl start falling in love, boy almost loses girl, boy gets girl back in time for a final song and dance number.  Add in a 'I'm a jock but I love to sing and dance...' subplot and a cast of endearing and typical high school characters and you've got something.  Top it all off with great song and dance numbers and a glossy look/feel and there you go.

A billion dollars and counting.

Of note is the fact that Disney puts out a bunch of these type of TV events each year (heard of 'Camp Rock'?) then watches to see if any of them gain traction.  The ones that do, they put the Disney marketing machine behind.  With HSM they saw it begin to catch and threw EVERYTHING they had behind it.  You can buy HSM socks and sun glasses and sunscreen and pillows and toothpaste and deodorant and clothes and CD's and books and stickers and microphones and bikes and basketballs and on and on and on.

It's worth noting that my son got into basketball because of HSM1 and remains a budding athlete to this day as a result.

It's also worth noting that even Disney doesn't know what's going to work and what's not.

And, as ever, it's all about the kids.  Most parents' purchasing patterns are impacted (if not dominated) by their kids' tastes.

So from that we all find encouragement to keep doing what we think is right and good and are reminded to try and set ourselves up to support/market our projects/ideas with whatever resources we have when we find them to be working.  Also, we're reminded (with our movies and our Churches and our businesses) to keep the kids and the family market in mind...that is unless you're only into doing more mature fare, which is fine but knocks you out of the 4 quadrant market.

We saw HSM3 twice in the theater and bought the deluxe edition DVD the first day it was out. My kids are downstairs watching it right now, for the fourth time since we got it yesterday.

If you can't beat 'em, learn from 'em.  Gotta' love you some Disney.

(Vanessa Hudgens 'aint bad [a near carbon-copy of a certain wife of mine I met fifteen years ago...] either...)

T

time flies...

My flight's delayed.

How 'bout that?  Yet another example of the simple truth that--if a bad thing is going to happen to you--it's probably going to happen when you least want it to.

Meaning, this trip away from home has been one of the longest yet.  My typical trip is four to five days max.  Once last year I was away for ten days.  Both the wife and I nearly jumped off the nearest bridge.  Vowed to never do that again.  This last trip has been seven days.

Too long.

And too busy.  Holy smokes but we worked hard.

We're in the last push to finish out season one on the two main TV series I've been producing this year and, as is often the case, the money gets thinner and thinner as the season unwinds. So, we're in the difficult position of having to do a lot more with a lot less.

That means working in more concentrated bursts than is really humanly possible.

One thing about hard work though is that it can focus your thinking.  When I'm in the midst of a real grind I often find myself asking myself 'why'.  "Why am I doing this again?"  "Is this really worth all the effort?"  "What's this unto again?"

Those kinds of questions.

And being forced to take stock is very helpful because you either decide to find a way to stop doing what you're doing or you decide to stop whining and get back to doing your job.

The other thing is that your mind starts stretching--provided you've decided to stick with it--as you try to imagine other ways to do what you're doing.  Other ways that will, hopefully, be a little easier on the mind, the body and the pocketbook.  

Some cool things happening in the midst of the madness...

-My movie is close to getting its domestic deal done and has an international one pending. 'Course the whole thing is likely to come crashing down at any minute but you never know. Just to have a deal pending is pretty cool, and has been a long time comin'.

-My TV work for this year is also in flux, meaning we've got (at the present time) two deals pending, and two more in the early stages of consideration.  What's interesting about the TV side of things is that 1) we have more momentum than ever which means we have opportunity to get through some previously closed doors and 2) because we have more to gain we have more to lose.  Nice.

And on the personal side...

-My wife wants me to get my bareboat charter certification done.  Yes, she's the coolest wife EVER, and no, that's not a license to get naked (although I do have that ticket to ride...) but rather a certification that allows you to rent (or charter) big sailboats in the tropics that you can take your kids and your friends on.  And then you can get naked.  Warm water...sunshine...c'mon, you telling me you're going to keep your clothes on?  Your loss friend. As for me and mine?  We're strippin' then we're swimmin' yo'.

-My kids are getting so big it's scary.  My eldest son Jordan and I skyped routinely on this trip and he's talking like a mini me.  My daughter Sarah is--I'm very afraid--a budding artist and there's nothing we can do to stop it.  My son Sam, in addition to being a dedicated motorhead, is just this sweet complicated, wonderful anachronism of a child and Zoe (the baby) is just plain crazy and FILLED with attitude, like her mother...

Ahem.

-Our house is too small, but we're holding out.  Our sense is we'd like to renovate but that depends on whether or not we can get approved for a new mortgage.  With spring coming, we're dedicated to finally (five years later) really getting a handle on the jungle otherwise known as our backyard--and adding a hot tub...

-And on the Church side, we've gone back to where we started.  St. George's Anglican Church is where I had my first job as a preacher.  I started there back in the summer of 2004.  All these years later, we've headed back, and have found it to be just as lovely as ever it was.  And my kids love it.  Who knew?  They've had a real hard time with the eight or so Churches we've hopped to and from since leaving our Church in January 2006 so to see them loving the experience of Sunday's has been great news.

The goal this year is to:

1) love the wife and babies

2) do more talk TV

3) do narrative TV

4) get my first movie out there

5) get my next movie going

6) do some acting...just for fun

7) renovate our house 

8) start preaching again once in a while

9) go sailing more

10) see Jess and Erica and Rob and Kate and Aaron and Katie and Tam and Derek and Chris and Cate and Sam and Jen and Tore and Julie and Karl and Niki more and if you're not on that list you really need to be...

So the plane's still delayed.  A first-ever experience for me with WestJet.  Think I'll go for a walk now.

May your day(s) be merry and bright...

T

Soooo....tiiiired

Oh man, oh man, what a day.

I haven't had to 'man up' that hard since directing my first feature-film.

We shot segments for 14 shows today.  Seven segments per show.  Four standing up, three sitting down.

98 segments in one day.

And I started the day fried.  Seriously, I had nothing.  Every bit of performance I brought to the table today was simply and only from gut level, in fact, I can barely type.

Today's experience was another reminder that doing what you love and feel called to do is almost never glamorous.  In fact, most times doing your job is just that, doing your job.

Might as well be a brick layer.

The challenge though is that I'm not laying bricks.  I'm trying to communicate meaning to people, trying to connect to them in a way that's inspiring and motivating and redemptive and true and good and lasting.

Doing that from a place of emptiness is one of the hardest things I do.

At the end of a day like today all you can say is "Thank God that's over..." while reminding yourself why you set out to do 'this' in the first place while holding fast to the simple truth that each day spent in the trenches gets you a little further down the road to becoming who and what you've been made to be.

And now, I sleep.

T

At work, and...

...it's going alright.

Which is a mercy, because--Lord knows--I was pretty worried about things.

But, our crew (smaller than usual today) is working together well and our hosts are really 'on it' so the performance side of things is working out, which--after all--is the only thing that matters in this medium.

It's all about what we put on the screen.

That's applicable to all of us.  Doesn't matter how much you have to suffer to get to the point where you're about to perform so long as, when you do get there, you bring something (whether a sermon, or a scene, or a presentation, or a business plan or a love letter...) that's worth your audience's time.

If you waste their time, you've wasted your gift.

T

tambourine lady...

That's my wife.  I love her.  I'm two thousand miles away from her today.  Valentines day.

But, despite the fact that we're apart, I'm mindful of the fact that she's one of the very good things in my life.

For that I'm thankful.

And, in addition to that, I figured I'd share a little blurb one of my associate producers just sent me.  It certainly 'spoke' to me--in the place I find myself in today.

Made me start to weep actually.

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for Him."  -Isaiah 30:18

Thanks, Tambourine Lady.

T

heavy times...

A shot of my notebook from yesterday...

I've been tasked with finding a way to finish the first season on one of our television series for as little money spent as possible.  I actually did the math late last night, after fourteen and a half hours at my desk, to figure out how many permutations--or variables--I'm dealing with re: putting these last episodes together.

Ready for the number?

46,200

That's right, forty six thousand two hundred possible scenarios that I have to wade my way through.

I've been at it--trying to figure this out--for the past four days straight.

Hence the silent blog.

The key point to relay is this: I'm in the midst of what I often refer to as a 'dark time'.  Things are looking very (very) bleak and I'm having to find a way to try and do my best work despite the fact that it's doom and gloom (in a very serious way) all around.

Welcome to producing.

We're setting up to shoot today and I'll have to project positivity, passion, encouragement, focus, determination and hope.

Despite the fact that I'm about ready to throw in the towel.

I said to my wife that the only thing keeping me from total despair is 1) the God factor ie: I believe that there are forces at work here beyond my control and I trust the ultimate outcome will be what it should be and 2) our history, meaning we've been through times like these before and have typically lived to look back and say, "Well, that sucked, thank God that's over..." and have generally found ourselves further up and farther in once it's over.

But in the valley, it's a tough slog lemme' tell you...

T

That strange magic...

Did you see it?

The best moment on The Grammy's?

What was it that made it stand out?  Why that moment in the midst of dozens?  'Course the reason we're asking is because we (preachers and filmmakers and ordinary people...) need to find the magic in the ordinary in order to keep doing what we do because with all we do we're looking to make...

Impact.

That's right.  We're looking to connect, trying to find a way to break through the noise of the everyday around us--and around everyone we meet--hoping to touch the inmost parts.

That's what it's all about, no?

That's why we say, "Get to the point..." or "Cut to the chase..." or "Well, the heart of the matter is..." or "What I'm really trying to say is..." or "What I meant to say was..."

We're trying to touch.

And that moment on The Grammy's was just that.  A touch-point.  A connection between artist(s) and audience.  That moment was a moment of strange magic--rooted in something bigger than us, outside us, some objective reality that some (most) call God--a moment where everyone's heart skipped a beat, everyone sat up straighter in their seat.

Magic.

That's what those of us who perform (whether from stage or for screen) for a living are tasked with doing.  That's why people keep coming to your Churches and paying for your movie tickets and watching your shows to spike them ratings to keep the advertisers paying.  They are looking to be touched by that strange magic.  They're looking to you for that touch.  They don't know how you do it, they just know that you do.

A whole World of thirsty people.

And for those of you who don't 'perform' for a living--you should be mindful of the fact that everyone performs.  That's why at work you have a yearly 'performance review'.  That's why you have board meetings and PTA meetings and tea with your friends once a week.  Everyone's checking in on everyone else in order to measure their performance against the other.

"How are they doing?  Gee' she's doing great, I better step up my game.  Phew, I'm doing alright compared to everyone else..."

Performance.

And if you can learn to wield that strange magic in your performances then you'll be a little further along the road to living a life that makes an impact.

Oh right, the performance.

T

The 'indie' spirit...

So, I'm trippin' over here.

Watching the Grammies right now.

(by the way, Radiohead is KICKIN' IT!)

And in the break we switched over to CNN for a minute in time to catch a piece on the woes over at General Motors.  They were interviewing a couple different union heads at the Indianapolis metal fabricating plant.

The whole gist of it was:

1) The workers can't believe they're facing extinction.

2) The workers feel like they're OWED a job.

3) They're going to vote 'no' to a settlement offer from GM.

And I turned to Nik and said.  "Well, you can't go on making cars no-one wants and that break down at the slightest provocation and that are inefficient as all-heck and expect to keep your job..."

If no-one wants your products you're sunk.

Nobody OWES you a job.

There is no such thing as 'business as usual' anymore.  I mean, heck, it'd be great to think you've got a $56/hour (that's a $116,480 a year job by the way...) job for LIFE just 'cause you happen to get hired by the company that used to be America's biggest.

They 'aint no more 'cause they've been OVERPAYING you, dude.

Seriously.

Being a guy who's ALWAYS lived with financial insecurity hanging over his head I'm quite prone to snapping when confronted with the attitude I saw on display with those plant guys.  

I'm an independent film and television producer.  Who's gonna' bail ME out?  Before that I was a Church planter.  Anybody come to rescue my baby Church when we couldn't make payroll?

Nope, we went without pay.  Nobody came to save us.

Nobody.

So, why should these guys who cut metal that gets built into cars that suck gas and break down at the slightest provocation, get their asses bailed out?

"Well, because the entire economy depends on GM..."

Gee', if that's the case, if we're really dependent on an OBSOLETE company as THE root and source of the health of North America's economy, well then, we're really in trouble aren't we?

If GM thought more like an independent producer, or like a Church planter, I bet you they'd have started INNOVATING twenty years ago.  

Instead, they've been building SUBURBANS for twenty years (or more) and CORVETTES for twenty years and CADDY'S for TWENTY YEARS with little to no improvement.  Have you ever driven a CAVALIER?  They're so bad, they just about make you sick, drivin' 'em...

(oh, so harsh Mr. Cantelon...)

And I'm not referring to incremental 'tweaks' like "Sir, we've improved fuel efficiency by 7% this year..."  I'm talking about, "Sir, we've figured a way to make this MoFo solar!"

That kind of innovation.

The kind of innovation a Pastor has to bring to keep a sermon fresh week after week after week in a changing World.  The kind of innovation a Filmmaker needs to bring to keep telling resonant story.  The kind of innovation a husband has to bring to keep his wife lovin' him.  The kind of innovation a Mom has to wield to homeschool her kids.

Sometimes a thing (no matter how big) needs to die so new life can take its place.

Go home GM, go home.

Send that bail out money somewhere where it'll actually DO something.  You've had your fifty years.

'Bout time for change if you ask me.

T

A wee bit glamourous...

Okay, sometimes, somedays, my life is a little bit interesting and just a wee bit--yes--glamourous.  Let's be very clear, I don't FEEL glamourous--I feel mostly like a fish out of water. Why?  'Cause I'm here...

Yes, Los Angeles--land of broken and living dreams.  I usually fly in at night and stare at the sprawl of it like I'm mesmerized by something out of 'The Matrix'.  By day it looks a little more ordinary.  Still huge though.  Still daring you to hold on to your dreams in spite of it.

Been working my tail off all night, getting ready for the first 12 of 25 interviews I'm going to shoot over the next couple days.  I'm dead tired from getting up at 3:00am today, then driving to Buffalo Airport then flying to Cincinnati then to LAX; but I'm pushing through 'cause I've got to be ready.  

Of note is the fact that I'm not as horrified about tomorrow as I was last time (the first time) I did this.  Also of note is the friggin' fish-out-of-water room I'm staying in...

Yes, the famous 'Beverly Willshire Hotel'.  I keep thinking Frank Sinatra or Jennifer Anniston could've slept in the bed I'm sleeping in.  And that's weird for a minute until you remind yourself they not only slept in your bed, they drooled in it--just like any normal human being would.

It's just a town full of people, after all.

People who demand things like this in their bathrooms...

Pretty nice.

And the funny thing is, this town isn't exactly what you'd call 'nice'.  It feels hard and full of potential.  It feels rich and desperate at the same time.  It feels like a place where dreams are made and killed.

It feels like L.A.

Shared the lobby with Chris Cornell tonight.

Shared the elevator with Lil' Wayne's producer.

Everybody stared at me as I walked through.  Not 'cause I'm anybody, but just so as they could make sure I wasn't somebody.  Put on big sunglasses and walk with purpose in this town and everybody looks twice.

Speaking of big sunglasses...

Paris Hilton just confirmed for Thursday.

I'll let you know how that goes.

Peace.

T

Traveling home...

No, that's not our 'luggage'.  That's our carry on baggage!  Yes, we were a cautionary tale yesterday at the airport.  We're like freaks, like Martians, like Mormons.

So many kids and so many bags it's enough to make you pity us.

(most of the women passing by looked on us with wonder and jealousy in their eyes, though...)

Lemme' tell you, I was the last guy off the plane, and not 'cause I wanted to but 'cause it took me fifteen minutes to figure out how to lug all that stuff you see off the plan singlehandedly. Yes, my wife and kids left first--they had to pee.

I felt like such a loser.

And nobody offered to help.

("Poor guy, can't keep it in his pants.  Maybe he'll give himself a hernia.  Might be a good thing...")

But on the plane?  Kids were good as gold.  The usual thing happened (yes, we fly with them A LOT, clearly--like with our sex life--we just haven't learned our lesson yet...) at the end of the flight with everybody near us (like at least ten different people) telling us how amazingly good our children were.

It's like we're the "FAMILY...OF...DOOM..." when boarding.  Everyone's like, "Oh great, four kids, and a baby with them.  There goes my peaceful flight.  Welcome to five hours of HELL everybody..."  Then our kids blow them away with their politeness, their easygoing-ness, their quietness, their shiny eyes and dispositions.

We have great kids.

Pack rats though.

But we're home.  And, let me tell you, getting home was great.  And here's the strange thing. We were staying in a 1.7 million dollar home in Vancouver right in the heart of this cool 'urban village' where we could walk to everything.  Pretty hot spot.  

(a tub me and the Missus could share...)

But regardless of how high we were livin', there's no place like home.

Our humble Burlington side-split hit the spot last night.  Lookin' all nice and lovely and family-ish and ready to have us back.  The neighbor kids shrieking with delight as our kids arrived didn't hurt either.

And my sports car started up on the first turn today.

(took me an hour and a half to dig it out of a month's worth of snow, but my tarp did it's magic and my Si emerged flawlessly clean--as usual...)

It's a happy day in the Cantelon household.

So I'll watch the Superbowl today then tomorrow I'll study for the twenty six celebrity interviews I'm going to shoot in L.A later this week.

Yes, more flying.  Tuesday.  

And yes...

I'll miss my kids.

T

Pizza and Movie night...

Man, this kind of 'on theme' blogging really makes you aware of the passage of time.

Week three with my 'Pizza and Movie Night' recap.

Sorry it's Sunday, not Saturday.  Yesterday we were flying cross country with our four kids so blogging took a back seat.

'Night at the Museum'...

Great movie.  Saw it twice with the kids in the theater.  I think they went twice more with Niki's Mom.  We bought it as soon as it came out on DVD and we've watched it at least seven or eight times since then.

It's a favorite.

Here's why:

1) Great concept.  Creatures coming to life?  Very cool.  Our kids love our local museum so the idea has broad appeal.  They have no problem imagining the museum coming to life 'cause the animals at their real museum look so real it took three or four visits before they started being able to see the whole place without succumbing to fits of terror.  So from that, I'm reminded to keep some kind of easy applicability in my storytelling and preaching.  Something the audience can see and go, "Yeah, that's possible..."

2) Great theme.  A Dad trying to find himself.  Facing the death of his dreams, realizing he has to embrace being a 'normal' guy and finding in that 'normal' a noble calling?  Cool.  Mix in the need Dad has to be 'Dad' to his boy--something all of us can relate to--and you've got a theme that resonates.  I'm reminded that when you're preaching you must remember the grand themes of preaching.  Creation, Fall, Death, Law, Covenant, Captivity, Release, Wandering, Home, Longing, Incarnation, Atonement, Resurrection, Sending, Preaching, Waiting, Redemption.  Same thing with our movies, remember that no great story lacks a resonant theme.  Make sure you find the theme in your story.

3) A big World.  A bone-chasing T-Rex, Genghis Khan, Roman legions fighting wild west cowboys, TR, a magic tablet, Neanderthals, and on and on; the world of NATM is vast and we love getting to visit it.  Remember to write big and tell your stories big.  Remember to show your audience the far horizon in your work and remember to urge them to chase it.

4) A sympathetic character.  We want Larry (Ben Stiller) to win.  We long for him to find his place.  We identify with him when he bumbles, when he snaps, when he caves and when he rises back up to face the challenge.  We feel like he's 'us' out there.  When you preach emphasize the humanity of your characters.  Help your audience feel 'at home' in the story you're telling. When you direct, emphasize the humanity of your characters.  Don't let your actors play 'types', get them to play humans.

And have a great ending.

'Night at the Museum', a near-classic in our house.

T