This week I take a screaming whirlwind through the different forms of puppetry and cgi that go into making the creatures of fantasy.

Go on over and ask questions about puppets.

• 08:59 Mildly disappointed that no one commented on Shari Lewis/Star Trek photo. Fishing for compliments on photoshopping, now.
• 09:02 Reminder to NYC folks. I’m performing tonight at 7:30 354 West 45th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues). Details: #
• 09:04 Fishing for compliments works! Although I’m amazed the presence of a sock puppet on the Enterprise didn’t tip people off that it’s fake. #
• 12:39 Running lines for the show. #
• 15:51 Packing up the show to head to the theater. See some of you there? #
• 17:15 At the theater waiting for our turn to tech. Seeing old friends. It’s nice. #
• 17:54 In case anyone is wondering, we are the last piece on the program tonight. We’re guessing that’s about 1 1/2 hours in. Plus, they have beer. #
• 18:25 Wow. The theater is really crowded. This is surprising. I’m about to turn my phone off. See you guys on the other side. #
• 18:40 Wow. They’ve added seats and are still having to turn people away. Ladies and gentleman, the Puppet Playlist is sold out. #
• 21:31 Well. That went well. #
• 23:01 All in all, I’d have to say that today was a particularly splendid day. #

YesButNoButYes: Elmo Meets Ricky Gervais.

There are days when a simple question can make your world collide.  I was looking for non-Henson hand puppets from feature length fantasy films so I tossed the question up on twitter to see what would come back.  (Gremlins are serving my purpose).  In the midst of this Berry Kercheval sends me this message. “Shari Lewis wrote a Star Trek TOS episode!!!”

Yes. Lambchop’s puppeteer, that beloved ventriloquist children’s entertainer wrote “Star Trek” The Lights of Zetar

This is the show that boldly goes…

Edited to add: The picture is photoshopped. The idea amused me, but I’ve just had three people respond as if it were real. Shari Lewis evidently lobbied for the role but was not cast. Lambchop never appeared on the Enterprise.

via Chris Hansen

One night only.

Jodi Eichelberger and I are performing an original piece, “Dinner Conversation” as part of Puppet Playlist, this Thursday at 7:30 pm at The Tank, in NYC.

Puppet Playlist takes talented puppeteers and brilliant musicians and slams them together into an evening of live theater to stir the senses.

Our first Playlist will feature works of puppetry set to the rasping, crooning, stomping and shouting of Tom Waits. Between sets, hear  new interpretations of Waits’ music — on cello, electric guitar and more. A chance to see some of New York’s most interesting puppet artists and musicians at play.

Performers (and their work) have been seen all over New York and throughout the world, on Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, at HERE Arts Center, Shakespeare in the Park, the Metropolitan Opera, FringeNYC, Lincoln Center, with Jim Henson Productions, and on both American and International TV (yes, that includes Sesame Street).

Featuring pieces by: Eric Wright, Melissa Creighton, Jean-Marie
Keevans, Jon Stancato (Stolen Chair), Andrew Broaddus, Jon  Levin, Maja Rajenovich, and Mary Robinette Kowal & Jodi Eichelberger.

Musical performances by: Anna Leuchtenberger, Leah Siegel, Emily Hope Price, The Relatives and Irv Irving.

$5 suggested donation at the door

http://www.thetanknyc.org/theater

I hope to see you there. Let me know if you’re coming so I can look for you after the show.

A quick reminder that the price for attending the Nebula Awards Weekend goes up on March 15th. The current price for the full weekend is $135, after that date, it will be $150. Banquet-only prices will also rise from $80 to $100.

http://www.nebulaawards.com/index.php/nebulaweekend is where all the information on the weekend can be found, including hotels, our Keynote Speaker Chuck Lorre, Toastmistress Janis Ian, Grand Master Award recipient Harry Harrison and much more.

Should be a fun weekend.

Rob got me tickets to Rusalka for my birthday, and so we went to the opera tonight. Renée Flemming was the lead and was perhaps more amazing even in person than broadcast.  The control, range and richness of her voice all seem effortless.

The cast was uniformly strong. Oh, and Rob got us tickets in the fourth row so we were really able to see their facial expressions.  He says that he’s never sat that close before and that it kept really reminding him that these are people making this amazing music.

I quite agree.  It was really amazing.

• 04:37 Sent Naomi Novik fan mail. God in heaven, why did I wait so long to read “His Majesty’s Dragon?” Wonderful! Read in 1 sitting. Book 2 also. #
• 12:07 Did anyone else forget that today was Daylight Savings, or is it just me? #
• 14:54 Heading out to see Watchmen with friends. #
• 21:34 Watchmen=watched. Verdict? Uneven film. Could have used shorter sex scenes & longer character scenes. Think I suffered from too much hype. #

I went to see Watchmen tonight with a bunch of friends, of whom I was the only one who hadn’t read the comic. Afterwards, one of the twenty-somethings commented on the casting and said, “They were all supposed to be in their forties but no one looked it.”

To which I replied, “As someone in their forties, I think they all looked my age. They just don’t look OLD.”

Yes. It’s true. Rob finally has a date for the operation.  March 30th, they’ll tackle the carpal tunnel in his right wrist.

Of course, first, he has to have a pre-op physical.  I don’t have any understanding of why he has to have this second physical when he just had one with the same doctor.  We are both hoping that they will be able to schedule this physical rather faster than they did the other one, otherwise they’ll have to push the operation date back.  Mind you, when the problem was first diagnosed in October, the surgeon had wanted to get Rob in that week for surgery.  Clearly, he is dealing with relatavistic time of some sort.

Apex has invited Beth Wodzinski, editor in chief at Shimmer, to be a guest blogger.  She’s talking about publishing, but the excellent advice could be applied to almost anything.

The real lesson for me is one I’ve had to learn over and over, in every area of my life: shut the fuck up and act. Do something. Get on with it. You can’t just sit there paralyzed by how huge or impossible the task is and how hopeless and despairing you are; none of that actually matters. What matters is taking action. You have to just jump in and do it anyway. I don’t care if you’re talking about writing a novel or running a magazine or painting your kitchen or finishing a triathlon: if it’s something you want, then STFU and do it.

• 16:46 Tried Second Life again and continue to fail to get it. I feel like such a geezer. #
• 17:32 Heading off to drop lye and plates at the theater. Then do a little barging. #
• 17:50 Whoa. First time outside today. (Oh, hush) Where did this spring weather come from? #
• 18:37 No gloves and I got barge on my fingers. I look like I have some type of bizarre disease. #
• 18:44 Bizarrely, the blood is really blue tonight. We’re mixing a new batch and hoping it is from an uneven tube of blue. #

This week’s AMC column takes a look at America’s fascination with cars. Swing by and talk about your vehicular fantasies.

• 16:32 #1 difference between new puppeteers and new writers? New writer’s mistakes aren’t likely to cause cancer. Must now explain toxicity levels #
• 17:05 Got Locus today. Picture of me & announcement of “Shades of Milk and Honey” sale. Funny how it takes an outside source to make it seem real. #
• 18:23 I feel completely out of touch since I don’t know enough about Watchmen to care. #
• 20:01 Reading a puppetry discussion on “hobby professions” & how it’s hard when people think your job is a game. Sound familiar? #