5 Things You Don't Know About Me

A new meme going around asks: “what are five things people don’t know about you?”

1. When I worked at Wallichs Music City, an LA record store, in the 60’s I used to throw Neil Young out of the listening booths for smoking pot. Once every two weeks. If only he had shared!

2. Ann Jillian was my childhood friend (and still is).

3. As a teenager I was offered a job writing for LAUGH-IN. I declined in order to go to college. So I missed my chance to write comedy for Richard Nixon.

4. I’m an idiot savant trivia expert when it comes to Top 40 music of the 60’s. Titles, artists, even labels – I pretty much remember them all. Is it any wonder my sex life in high school was nil? Ask Ann Jillian.

5. And finally – O.J. Simpson was at my wedding. Now this requires explaining. He wasn’t invited. We got married in the outdoor patio of the Beverly Hills Hotel. O.J. had just finished playing a game of tennis, saw the ceremony going on and stood in the back and watched. He wasn’t there for the reception however. He was probably breaking into our room.

Houston TK

me and my sisters and our grandparents at houston carson(we too!!) had a great time at the hotel!!

the "Delaware people"!!!!

We went to Houston TK 2 weeks ago and stayed at a great holtel with a (not so big)tennis court and a(not so big)swimming pool,they had a hot tub but it felt more like a lava tub!!!!we had a great time in houston!!!!!!!!!

I AM BACK!!!!

Firstly, my big big sorry for not updating this blog. WOW, it was exactly one month ago from my last post! I was busy with work and was away in Taipei for 10days preparing for my wedding photoshoot in Taiwan. Now it is all done and I can finally concentrate on more of my new and coming soon collections. Just to kick off my blog here are some pictures of my past hobbies....

Here are some 1:24 model kits built by me a few years back. Nowadays I am working on a few model kits. Suddenly just feel like making car models again. Can't wait for a few of the newer kits to come out very soon next month. Model such as Mercedes Benz AMG SL63 and Fiat 500 Abrath Ver had been long in my lists.

1:24 Lamborghini Countach and Gallardo

Gallardo was completed around 2007. The red Countach is 95% completed!

1:24 Fujimi Toyota Bb

1:24 Revell Chrysler Prowler


1:24 Revell Ford Flipnose


1:24 Tamiya Nissan GTR 32

1:24 Fujimi Nissan GTR 33

1:24 Tamiya Nissan GTR 34

1:24 Aoshima Nissan NISMO GTR 34 Z-Tune

Here are something I had been working on when I am slightly free at CH-Toynation in Kiulap. These are miniatures Japanese Traditional House from TomyTec. Once I am done with it, I will post more pictures up!

Me calling Dodger baseball

The regular season is over but the Dodgers are in the playoffs! They can't seem to win one more game to clinch it but still!

The good news: More games to cover. More Dodger Talk shows on KABC.

The bad news: No, I can't get you tickets. And even if I could, you haven't talked to me since high school. Why the hell should I do you a favor? Oh...and it's Ken, not Kevin.

Earlier in the year I got to fill in and do some Dodger play-by-play. Several of you have asked to hear a sample (not the high school guy, he just wants tickets --and parking passes if possible). I've been lax in uploading it but figure I better do it now cause once the playoffs are over no one is going to give a shit about listening to a baseball broadcast.

So relive some exciting moments and a lot of standing around as I call a Dodgers-Brewers game with Steve Lyons.

Click To Play

A Familiar Story, Beautifully Told

Does Geoff Johns sleep? From where I'm sitting, it looks like he's writing roughly 70 percent of the books DC is putting out right now, including event stories like "Blackest Night." He's like the Joyce Carol Oates of comic book writers.

Johns' work rarely disappoints, but I approached his latest project, "Superman: Secret Origin," with trepidation. The Man of Steel's backstory has been told many times in almost every medium, and it was hard to believe that there was anything new to say. But while I'm not a rabid Superman fan, I am a sucker for how-it-all-began tales and Gary Frank's artwork. I'm glad I put my skepticism aside, because "Secret Origin" No. 1 is winning in its simplicity and obvious affection for all the origin tales that preceded it.

In Johns' version, Clark Kent is a teenager who is freaked out by his burgeoning powers. Like all adolescents, he's stuck in a changing, unpredictable body. The difference is that when he kisses his childhood sweetheart, Lana, the embarrassing, involuntary reaction is scorching heat vision. Ma and Pa Kent realize they can't put off The Talk any longer, and as a parent, I found myself wondering how I'd break the news to my kid that he dropped out of the sky in a rocket ship. Their big reveal goes badly, especially after unexpected holographs of Clark's — uh, Kal-El's — Kryptonian birth parents appear near the rocket they've hidden in the barn. Clark goes nuts with anger and confusion, and Pa Kent's loving reassurance ("You are my son.") is so touching that it made me a little teary.

The art in this book is gorgeous. Frank draws Clark exactly like a young Christopher Reeve, who is the gold standard for Superman. There's one panel where teen Lex Luthor's facial expression is so perfectly furious that I kept flipping back to study it. Even if you knew nothing about who Luthor eventually becomes, it would be chilling.

Rarely has my 9-year-old son so entranced by a comic book. As I watched him read "Secret Origin" for the second time, I was struck by how few of my comics I've been able to share with him. Let's face it; once you leave the kids' section, a great many comic books are filled with imagery inappropriate for children under 13. "Secret Origin" isn't a "kids" comic book, but it is accessible in the best possible way. He's antsy for No. 2, and so am I.

The AMAZING jump rope dancers. You won't believe it!

You can keep your Laker Girls or college dance teams. These girls are amazing beyond belief. Introducing the Naval Academy Jump Rope Dance team. Wow.

Agnes Moorhead AS Endora

First off, a couple of spots have opened up for the Sitcom Room seminar. If you're interested check it out. Remember, I only hold this seminar once a year. It's fantasy camp for comedy writers except you also learn a lot and get to see your work performed by professional actors. Let's see Robert McKee top that! Go here for details and to sign up.
Now that we've had a word from our sponsor, let's get to some Friday questions and answers.

Matt has a…

QUESTION: From time to time during opening show credits you'll see the list of actors/actresses in the show and there is always one actor (or actress) who is listed along with the name of the character they play. Why is this?

To improve his billing and separate him from the other cast members. It’s all negotiated in advance and can be a royal pain-in-the-ass. If an agent’s client can’t get top billing they want a “with” credit or “as ‘character name’ credit – anything to set them apart from their fellow castmates. This can get very sticky when you have an ensemble cast and every actor wants some special recognition. And it’s one thing if it’s the great stage and film star, Agnes Moorhead playing Endora on BEWITCHED; it’s another if it’s some skeesix who starred in a series of plumbing commercials.

Credit placement is also an issue. You’ll notice on CHEERS that Ted and Shelley share a card. Ted is first (on the left) but in the lower half of the screen while Shelley takes second billing but her credit is higher. I think Paul Newman and Steve McQueen had the same arrangement in THE TOWERING INFERNO (although it might have been Paul Newman and Shelley Long. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen it.)

Here’s one from anonymous (please leave your name, folks.)

Since a spec is meant to (hopefully) impress a showrunner with how well you understand and can handle the show, is it better to write a small 'family script' (concentrating on the core characters), or a larger one full of other characters, locations, etc. For example: the Cranes at home, or on the road? Hawkeye in the Swamp, or chasing an ailing soldier all over Korea?

The small family script is vastly preferable. Don’t do anything too ambitious. That’s a huge trap. Keep guest stars to a minimum. You show that you can write the best possible episode within the framework of that show. Leave the “special” episodes to the show’s producers.

We once received a spec of WINGS where the teaser was seen through the eyes of a fly in the room. Shockingly, it didn’t sell.

From Bob Summers:

I know you hate the question at a pitch meeting about "What's the first episode of season 7?", but what about shows like "Lost" and now "Flash Forward"?

When everyone sees six months in the future, how do you even think about how are we going to be relevant in season two?

I wondered the same thing watching the FLASH FORWARD pilot (that and what role will Sonya Walger get next?). Maybe after April 20, 2010 everyone will fall asleep again for two more minutes. I wouldn’t drive or get on a plane past that date, that’s for sure.

LOST has managed to ingeniously find ways to keep the story going forward (and backwards and sideways). But there are a number of recent series whose premises seemed very limited to me. After they break of out prison in PRISON BREAK, then what? The truth is the producers didn’t know either.

Last year there were shows about wedding days and worst weeks. How do you sustain those premises? But networks were so intent on looking for shows with “big hooks” they either didn’t ask those questions of longevity or just didn’t give a shit. Get an 18 share now. It’s not like the executives making the decisions are going to be in those jobs in three years anyway.

A couple of seasons ago ABC had a show about a bunch of idiots trying to rob Mick Jagger. What would happen year two – they’d rob Pauley Shore?

What’s your question?