Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki gets unassisted triple play against Braves

Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki gets unassisted triple play against Braves

DENVER (AP) -- Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki had an unassisted triple play in the seventh inning of the Rockies' game against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.

After Kelly Johnson and Edgar Renteria reached on singles, Tulowitzki caught Chipper Jones' line drive behind second base. Tulowitzki stepped on the bag to double up Johnson and tagged Renteria for the third out.

It was the 13th unassisted triple play in major league history and first since Rafael Furcal of the Braves did it on Sept. 10, 2003, against the Cardinals.

It was the second triple play in the Rockies' 13-year history. The first happened April 10, 2003, against St. Louis.

Chicago Bulls sweep series from defending champion Miami Heat

Chicago Bulls sweep series from defending champion Miami Heat

By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer

MIAMI -- The Chicago Bulls swept the defending NBA champion Miami Heat out of the playoffs, winning a postseason series for the first time since the Michael Jordan era.

Ben Gordon scored 24 points, Luol Deng had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Chicago beat Miami 92-79 Sunday in Game 4 to finish off their first-round Eastern Conference series. The Bulls, who will face Detroit in the second round, became the first team to oust a defending champion in the opening playoff series since Phoenix did it to San Antonio in 2000.

The coach of that Suns team? Scott Skiles, who coaches the Bulls now
-- and who put together a plan that simply befuddled Miami all series long.

"It's an accomplishment," Skiles said. "We're in a funny position here. We want to enjoy it. It was great. We played well. We played hard all four games. We deserved to win -- but we want to keep playing. ... We know what we're facing now. We want to keep moving on."

Dwyane Wade scored 24 points for Miami on 8-for-22 shooting, and added 10 assists. Shaquille O'Neal had 16 points, Alonzo Mourning scored 14 and James Posey had 18 rebounds -- a club-record 17 on the defensive end -- for the Heat.

Chicago became the 80th consecutive NBA team to advance after taking a 3-0 lead in a series; only three teams in major pro sports have overcome such a deficit, and the Heat won't be joining the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders and 2004 Boston Red Sox in that exclusive club.

"Somewhere in the NBA it's going to happen," Heat coach Pat Riley said before Sunday's game. "One day, one team, will do that."

Not this day. And not this team. Riley shook Skiles' hand at midcourt when it was over, whispered a few words of encouragement, and then he and the Heat headed to their locker room -- without their crown.

"We ran into more than a formidable opponent," Riley said. "They are a great team. ... They deserved to win. There's no doubt in my mind.
They can go a long way."

Miami, which didn't trail until late in the third quarter, got within one point twice in the fourth -- first on a jumper by Wade with 11:15 left, then when Posey made a pair of free throws with 5:27 remaining.
Chicago had an answer both times, and left celebrating -- just as it did on Oct. 31, when it opened the season with a 108-66 stunner on the Heat's home floor.

This one was much closer -- but hurt the Heat so much more.

"When you're competitors and you really want to win and you don't win and you don't fulfill your personal expectations, it's not easy,"
Riley said. "It's never easy. It's one of the most miserable experiences a man will ever have. And that's how I think we feel now."

Wade scored with 2:32 left to get Miami within 84-79, and the Heat then turned to the Hack-a-Ben strategy -- intentionally fouling the Bulls' Ben Wallace, a notoriously terrible foul shooter -- with hopes of getting the ball back.

But Wallace made all four of his tries within a 21-second span to push the lead to nine, and the white-clad Heat crowd began shuffling into the offseason. All Miami could do was stare in silence at the final seconds of an injury-plagued year that simply never went its way.

"Tonight, they went down for me," Wallace said after his 7-for-8 effort from the line. "I might not make them tomorrow, but tonight, they went down."

Wallace finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds and Andres Nocioni had 11 points for Chicago, which committed only five turnovers while forcing 17.

Miami scored the game's first eight points, the first six of those coming from O'Neal -- who was 6-for-7 in the opening half. But the Bulls coolly withstood the opening burst and knotted the game at 14 when Gordon hit his second 3-pointer of the quarter with 5:30 left, the first of four ties in the half.

Chicago never led in the first half and trailed 48-44 at intermission, but probably felt quite good about the second quarter.

The Bulls made only 33 percent of their shots in that period, compared to 64 percent shooting by the Heat. Chicago still outscored Miami 21-20 in the second, because it took 24 attempts (making eight) and saw the Heat manage only 11 field-goal tries -- a number limited by seven turnovers in the quarter.

Plus, the Heat were plagued again by their free throw shooting. After going 16-for-35 from the line in Friday's eight-point Game 3 defeat, Miami was 8-for-17 in the first half. O'Neal and Mourning, the Heat centers, were 10-for-11 from the field in the first 24 minutes, but 2- for-10 from the line in the same span.

And in the third, after spending 33 minutes chasing Miami, the Bulls got their first lead when Deng hit a jumper with 2:45 left. It was Deng's third basket in an 11-2 Chicago run to end the third quarter, and when Chris Duhon hit a 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left, the Bulls had a 68-64 lead entering the fourth.

They didn't trail again. And the so-called Baby Bulls -- a young team that had endured two straight first-round ousters, including last year against Miami in six games -- officially grew up.

"They showed signs of maturity," said Wallace, who now gets to face his old team, the Pistons, with a trip to the Eastern Conference finals at stake. "I like to see that."

Notes:@ The Bulls beat Detroit in three of four meetings this season. ... Hinrich was shaken up while fouling O'Neal 34 seconds into the game. Hinrich stayed down under the basket for a few moments, but remained in the game. ... Posey replaced Jason Kapono as the starter at small forward for Miami; before Game 3, Kapono took the starter spot from Eddie Jones, who did not play in Game 4. ...
Antoine Walker hit a 35-footer at the buzzer of the first quarter, and Wade had a three-point play for Miami with 0.6 seconds left in the half.

Book Rec of the Day 4/29/2007

A slender jewel of a novel for all readers who believe in the power of fiction to transform lives. It is the Cultural Revolution in China and two educated boys are sent to a peasant village as laborers where they come into possession of a cache of forbidden Western literature and use it to free their souls and those of the villagers they tell the stories to. The Los Angeles Times Book Review calls it “an unexpected miracle.”

BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS, by Dai Sijie (Anchor, 2002)

Sports Fact of the Day 4/29/2007

4/29/2003:
As Toronto struggles to combat the medical crisis (and financial fallout) of the contagion known as severe acute respirator syndrome (SARS), over 48,000 fans pack the SkyDome for only $1 per ticket to see the Blue Jays host Texas. The visiting Rangers smash six home runs, including two each by Carl Everett and Juan Gonzalez, to win a wild slugfest, 16-11. Trailing 12-4, the Blue Jays rally back to 13-11 before being halted, but Torontonians are loud and proud in their message to the world: "We are still open for business!"

Birthdays:
George Allen b. 1922 (I'm not sure this is the right guy, wikipedia lists DOB as 1918 but today's date)
Luis Aparicio b. 1934
Jim Ryun b. 1947
Dale Earnhardt Sr. - b. 1952
Andre Agassi b. 1970

Book Rec of the Day 4/28/2007

MEMOIRS

Haines, Alaska, is so small it doesn’t have a stoplight and so isolated that at times it’s nearly inaccessible. Your neighbor might be a tattooed minister, a stay-at-home mom, a gold miner, or a moose. This short, sweet memoir reveals the pleasures of tiny-town living in warm, personable vignettes. It will definitely make you want to visit Alaska, and it might make you look at your own town with new eyes. “Colorful and captivating,” says Publishers Weekly.

IF YOU LIVED HERE, I’D KNOW YOUR NAME: NEWS FROM SMALL-TOWN ALASKA, by Heather Lende (Algonquin, 2005)

Sports Fact of the Day 4/28/2007

(Another sad one, yeesh!)
4/28/1974:
The New York Rangers even their Stanley Cup semifinal series with Philadelphia at two games apiece on an overtime goal by Rod Gilbert, but the glee at Madison Square Garden is tempered by a career-ending injury suffered only moments earlier by Flyers defenseman Barry Ashbee. Struck directly in the right eye by a slap shot, the resolute blueliner will lose all depth perception in that eye and be forced to retire. Three years from now, he'll die of leukemia at age 37. In 1975, his uniform No. 4 will be the first jersey ever retired by the Flyers.

Birthdays:
Pedro Ramos b. 1935
Tom Browning b. 1960
Mark Bavaro b. 1963
Barry Larkin b. 1964
John Daly b. 1966

Joss on "Angel Season 6" Comic: Newsarama.com Interview

From Newsarama.com - By Chris Ryall - 2007-04-28

Joss on "Angel Season 6" Comic: Newsarama.com Interview

IDWEEK: JOSS WHEDON TALKS ANGEL, AFTER THE FALL

Earlier today, we talked to Brian Lynch about his second Spike series, Shadow Puppets, and talked briefly about handling Angel’s post-season 5 return. And now a few words from his comrade-at-arms, Joss Whedon. Spoil alert! (not because he’s giving anything away here, y’see-we would’ve said “spoilER alert,” then. Rather, because we just spoil you with all this great content and... oh, why are you wasting time reading this inane intro when the actual Q&A is waiting for you in the very next sentence?

Newsarama: When word broke that you planned to partner with writer Brian Lynch and continue Angel’s adventures where the final episode left off, the decision was met with pretty unanimous praise. But do you feel any pressure about picking up from what many fans regard as the perfect ending to a TV show?

Joss Whedon: Actually, a lot of people thought it was a cliffhanger, so they can’t be too sad.

NRAMA: Fans seem very concerned about “official canon” (which is something Brian references in a very funny way in issue #1 of his Spike: Shadow Puppets in June. Do you understand the uproar? What does “canon” mean to you?

JW: Canon is key, as is continuity. If you are massive nerd. Which I am. I believe there’s a demarcation between the creation and ancillary creations by different people. I’m all for that stuff, just like fanfic, but I like to know what’s there’s an absolutely official story-so-far, especially when something changes mediums, which my stuff seems to do a lot.

NRAMA: What was it about Brian Lynch’s work on Spike: Asylum that got you thinking he’d be the right person to develop this book with you?

JW: The voices. Not just of the characters from the show but everybody. I knew from the moment [at the beginning of Asylum] Spike took the job he didn’t want because the guys thought he was Angel and he felt pissy that this was gonna happen with Brian. I even emailed Tim Minear about it that night.

NRAMA: Along the lines of “why him,” let’s also look at “why now?” Did your work on the Buffy comic book rekindle a desire to revisit these characters? Or had you always planned to get back to them at some point?

JW: Brian gets the cred. I ran into him at a restaurant and Asylum was coming out that day so I figured, gotta read it. Read it. See above. I can’t make the same kind of commitment that I’m making to Buffy, but I thought Brian could handle being the show-runner with continued input-and a basic rundown on where were heading-from me.

NRAMA: Without spoiling anything, can you give fans any idea of what they can expect to see, or not see, in the comic?

JW: Season six-that is, the storyline we were planning to pursue-made much more epic and fleshed out quite a bit. We’re looking at it as a 12-issue miniseries, to keep it tight and intense. Brian and I have been exchanging juicy ideas. And some that are more bran-y. For health.

NRAMA: Finally, when the show itself ended, did you have an idea in your head of where things would go? Did you know all along who would, or wouldn’t, survive that fight in the alley?

JW: I’ve always known exactly, unless someone brings me a better idea. (It was Jeff Bell and the Angel staff who pitched me Wesley’s death-once we knew we’d got the chop.) The better idea makes it to the canon. But the line up is pretty much what I planned. It’s not pretty.

I’m pretty.

Buffy s.8 Issue 2 "The Long Way Home" sells out

From Darkhorse.com -

Buffy s.8 Issue 2 "The Long Way Home" sells out

The last time I wrote something for this space, the first issue was just off to the printer, with the highest orders we’d had for a single-issue comic in years. When the book came out, it sold out overnight, and we’ve since gone back to print twice on issue one. Issue two came out, with an even higher print run, and that issue’s gone back to press. Good times at Dark Horse.

Issue three is at the printer as we speak, due out in just a couple weeks, in early May. It reintroduces yet another major character, and this one, I think will be a bigger surprise than Amy was at the end of issue one. Andy Owens and Dave Stewart are currently putting the finishing touches on issue four, and Paul Lee has just finished pencilling #5. Just an hour ago I got Jo Chen’s final cover art for Buffy #7, after getting the final draft of that script a couple days ago from Brian K. Vaughan.

We’re busy ’round the clock.

MySpace was a major factor in our marketing for Buffy, notably a contest that we held in which Buffy fans were to write essays about how the show affected their lives. We got a few thousand entries, all over the charts. There were some recurring themes—a lot of kids who felt like they didn’t belong in high school, learning that they were better off being themselves. Closeted gay kids who found the courage to come out by seeing the characters on the show. A few real good letters from soldiers who talked about how Buffy continues to be a comfort and a way to blow off steam in the desert.

The winner, Robin Balzer, will be drawn into issue ten of the comic. Joss was working on the story for that issue around the time he was judging the entries, and Robin’s story about battling mental illness really connected with what he was doing, so while the contest promised the winner a cameo in a comic, Robin will get a real role in the history of these characters.

The response to Robin’s win was interesting. As I’d expect from Joss’s fans, a lot of people were touched by Robin’s story, congratulated her, and gave Joss kudos for making such a unique and big-hearted choice. What I wouldn’t expect from Joss fans—and sort of assume these guys might not really be fans of the material—was a smattering of sarcasm and derision, saying Robin didn’t deserve it, that this was somehow "b.s." To read so many great entries about how Buffy had taught viewers about selflessness, about learning to respect themselves for being different, I wondered what these people thought they’d gotten out of the show.

Besides picking a winner and writing her into a comic, Joss also had to select five runners-up, who’d get signed copies of #1 (first printing). Joss, who often delivers over and above, wrote personal notes in Sharpie on the covers of the five books. He clearly went back to the entries as he signed the books, because each note specifically referenced the runner-up’s story. I can’t wait until they get their books. I’m pretty sure no one’s gonna feel like a runner-up. And going beyond those five people, you can see a MySpace blog where other essays are being posted. It’s a hell of a community out there.

The first arc of Season Eight is wrapping up fairly soon. Keep your letters coming to let us know what you think. We’re having a blast here. Brian K. Vaughan’s scripts are fantastic—he’s captured Faith’s voice brilliantly, with all the bravado and balls of that great Boston girl. And don’t worry—he’s getting his chance to write Buffy herself too. Just because Faith blotted out the logo doesn’t mean she’s dominating all twenty-two pages of each issue. Buffy has her issues to work out too...

Book Rec of the Day 4/27/2007

“Andrea Levy gives us a new, urgent take on our past.”—Vogue

“A rich saga, stuffed full of interlocking narratives.”—Time Out

“Levy tells a good story, and she tells it well.”—The Washington Post Book World

Small Island tore through England, sweeping up literary prizes (the Orange Prize for Fiction, the Whitbread Book Award, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize) and praise. The story of two families, one Jamaican and one British, in post-World War II England is not explosive, but it is wonderful. If you liked Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, don’t miss this similar, excellent novel.

SMALL ISLAND, by Andrea Levy (Picador, 2005)

Sports Fact of the Day 4/27/2007

4/27/1990
Tablesetter Wally Backman steals the spotlight from slugging teammate Barry Bonds by going 6-for-6, part of a 19-hit Pittsburgh attack that leads to victory over San Diego, 9-4. Backman has a double and five signles in the leadoff spot for the Bucs to overshadow Bonds, who has a four-hit game of his own with two home runs. The win is part of a 10-3 won-lost mark on an early-season 13-game road trip, boosting the Bucs to their first of three straight National League East titles under manager Jim Leyland.

Birthdays:
Enos Slaughter b. 1916
Lee Roy Jordan b. 1941
Keith Magnuson b. 1947
George Gervin b. 1952
Herman Edwards b. 1954

Book Rec of the Day 4/26/2007

Three Nights in August is destined to become a baseball classic. It has everything going for it: a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist with total clubhouse access and a compelling hero: legendary manager, Tony La Russa. Bissinger follows just three games that La Russa’s team, the St. Louis Cardinals, play against their rivals, the Chicago Cubs, and reveals more about the inner workings of the game than you can imagine. A home run.

THREE NIGHTS IN AUGUST: STRATEGY, HEARTBREAK, AND JOY INSIDE THE MIND OF A MANAGER, by Buzz Bissinger (Mariner Books, 2006)

Sports Fact of the Day 4/26/2007

4/26/1975:
With a 1-0 victory over Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup quarterfinals, the New York Islanders become only the second team in sports history to rebound from a 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. The Isles equal the improbable feat of the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, who stunned Detroit in the Cup finals after trailing three games to none. Chico Resch turns aside 30 Penguin shots, at least two directly off his mask at close range.

Birthdays:
Harry Gallatin b. 1927
Nino Benvenuti b. 1938
Donna de Varona b. 1947
Mike Scott b. 1955
Natrone Means b. 1972

Book Rec of the Day 4/25/2007

“Gould’s Book of Fish is a novel about fish in the way Moby-Dick is a novel about whales...a wondrous, phantasmagorical meditation on art, history and nature.”—The New York Times

“An astonishing masterpiece.”—Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

“A work of significant genius.”—Chicago Tribune

Flanagan’s novel about an inmate in a Tasmanian prison and a book he illustrates won prizes and raves and bestseller status around the world. If you haven’t come across it yet, a literary treat awaits.

GOULD’S BOOK OF FISH, by Richard Flanagan (Grove, 2003)

Sports Fact of the Day 4/25/2007

Anzac Day (Australia & New Zealand)

4/25/1954:
The New York Giants complete a three-game sweep of Philadelphia, all by shutouts, with a double whitewash at the Polo Grounds. Sal "the Barber" Maglie spins a five-hit, 3-0 victory in the opener, while Johnny Antonelli twirls a three-hit, 5-0 gem of his own in the nightcap. Yesterday Marv Grissom beat Robin Roberts, 1-0, on a three-hitter, making it a lost weekend at Coogan's Bluff for the Phillies. The Giants will lead the National League in shutouts (119) and team ERA (3.09) en route to winning the World Series this fall.

Birthdays:
Johan Cruyff b. 1947
Vladislav Tretiak b. 1952
Darren Woodson b. 1969
Jacque Jones b. 1975
Tim Duncan b. 1976

Tim Minear on "Drive": Creativescreenwriting.com Interview

From Creativescreenwriting.com -

Tim Minear on "Drive": Creativescreenwriting.com Interview

The co-creator of Fox’s new high-octane drama Drive takes a pit stop to give CS Weekly a peek under the hood of his thrilling new serialized drama about an illegal cross-country race and its diverse participants.

A veteran of cult classics like Angel, Firefly, and Wonderfalls, as well as the co-creator of the short-lived FBI procedural The Inside, Tim Minear has brought his experience as a television scribe to the Screenwriting Expo for the last two years where his classes on breaking story have received rave reviews. Before his new Fox series Drive hits the air with a two-hour debut on Sunday (followed by a third hour in its regular Monday-night slot), Minear offers CS Weekly a look behind the scenes of the series that finds a disparate group of characters lured into a mysterious race with enigmatic rules. The pilot introduces the audience to the concept through the eyes of Nebraska landscaper Alex Tully (Nathan Fillion), who hopes to find his kidnapped wife (Amy Acker) at the finish line, while his competitors, including housewife (Melanie Lynskey), desperate to find her baby; a parolee (Kevin Alejandro) bonding with his half-brother (J.D. Pardo); and others glimpsed briefly in the first hour all pursue their own agendas along the way.

How did you get involved with Drive?

I have this overall deal with Twentieth Century Fox, the studio, and Jennifer Nicholson Salke, the head of Fox’s TV development, had a relationship with Ben Queen, who had this idea about an illegal cross-country road race. When they have an idea pitched to them by someone who has less practical experience running a show, they put that writer together with someone they have a deal with who has more experience running shows. Jenn said I should meet Ben and hear his idea. It was development time, and I was quite burned out from having just gone directly from Angel (1999-2002) to Firefly (2002), back to Angel (2003), right to Wonderfalls (2003-2004), to redeveloping The Inside (2004-2005), to being put on an accelerated schedule for that. I kept making these shows during the off times of the year. I wasn’t really around during development time, so I never really had anything to pitch development-wise.

So, Ben had this idea (eventually titled Drive), which I thought it was a good idea. Ben’s idea was a show about an illegal cross-country road race, with regular people, who are not racecar drivers, competing in their own cars. But I didn’t feel like I wanted to get involved with someone else’s thing. I was really ready to do a show on my own, so I initially said no. But then I thought more about the idea, and I figured, "Well, what the hell?" It is a great idea. So I told Ben that I changed my mind.

When I’m looking for something to develop, what I’ve learned is that you want an idea that is broad and specific at the same time. CSI is the perfect example of something that is incredibly specific: they’re the ones who dust for prints, they’re the science guys-but that’s such a broad idea that you can tell any type of crime story within that concept. Drive felt specific-it’s a secret cross-country road race with regular people-but it’s also incredibly broad. Is it a comedy? Is it action? Is it a thriller? Is it a drama? Is it a melodrama? Is it Magnolia? Is it North By Northwest? My feeling was that it was all those things. It could be all those things because each of these little cars were worlds unto themselves, which would be pinging off of each other in the landscape of the larger concept. That’s what appealed to me about it.

With such a large cast to introduce in the pilot-you nearly 20 regular or recurring characters show up in the first 45 minutes-what were the challenges of making sure the viewers would have a grip on all the various characters?

The answer was that they can’t. You have to focus on a couple of characters and tell the story through the points of view of those characters, then allow the balance of the ensemble to exist in the world you’ve now set up. You get a little taste of who they are, but then you’re going to really explore those other stories. That’s why Drive is a series and not a movie. We really focused on three characters in the pilot and got into the concept of the race through their points of view-primarily, through Alex, the Nathan Fillion character. Alex has as much information as the audience does, so he’s learning about it as we are and that’s the person’s head you want to be in.

Drive had a rather on-again-off-again time with Fox. Why do you think they had a hard time getting behind it from the get-go?

We all did, to some degree. It’s a deceptively complicated concept, and really, the most complicated thing about it is how do you film a race that’s not a race? They’re not going around a track. It’s a challenge to tell this ensemble drama and still keep this idea of the race alive. It’s not The Amazing Race; if you want these characters to interact, you have to get them out of the car. If there’s a starting pistol fired in an episode, and they have to go some place, then that becomes their entire agenda. It’s tricky to break these stories.

In terms of the network, certainly Peter Liguori, who is the president of Fox, always saw what was valuable in this show for his network. He’s always been foursquare behind it, it was just a matter of getting the show on the schedule. Initially, Fox picked it up, and then didn’t. When Peter cleared the path so that we could go on the air, everything became so accelerated that now we’re sort of caught on this train that’s left the station.

Presumably, the race itself is a McGuffin to explore characters engaged in it. How do you walk the line between personal stories and the overall arc of the race?

You almost, by necessity, have to stop the action of the race in order to tell a story, but you can’t. So, what’s interesting is the urgency with which people approach the race-like how far behind they are, how far ahead they are, where the next checkpoint is, where’s the final finish line-all that stuff colors every scene. Balancing it is the trick, and that’s what we’re learning. There are a lot of different ways to do it.

As with The Inside, you re-shot the pilot for Drive. Aside from several cast changes, what were your goals with the structural changes? The fact that we now show some backstory about these characters in the beginning was the biggest thing, actually. It’s the same story. In the first version of the story, you start with a guy whose wife is missing and he goes to Key West thinking he’s either going to find her there or have a ransom demand or something, and he finds he’s been brought down there for this race. In this version of the story, instead of getting that exposition out as we go, we’re frontloading it so that you’re invested in these people sooner. What we found was that there was kind of a disconnect with the viewer. They were watching this thing and understanding the story, but not really in the point of view of anybody. That’s what we tried to do here.

The title Drive has an immediacy that arrests you when you see it on print or on the screen. Did the title arrive with the concept, or is it something you worked toward?

I don’t think [Ben] actually came to me and said, "It’s called Drive." I think what he said was, "Here’s the idea," and we both went, "...and it’s called Drive." The title for The Inside was terrible. It was called The Inside because, initially, it was about somebody who worked "on the inside" as an undercover agent. That’s not at all the show I made. That concept was gone, so we were fishing around forever for a title that would tell you, in a blink, what the show was, and we never landed on it.

The thing that you bring up here is interesting, because it’s something I’ve given a lot of thought to. I think Wonderfalls was great and I think Firefly was great, but those titles did not help those shows. Wonderfalls doesn’t mean anything and Firefly doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but you have to introduce the show by getting viewers there and showing it to them. When Heroes was first being promoted, I could look at a print ad that said "Heroes" with a photograph of that cast in those iconic poses and I knew what that show was. No one had to explain it to me. Then, when it aired, it delivered on that. It was exactly what it said it was. I felt that this show could have that same kind of blink recognition. You can promote a thing called Drive, explain very quickly what it was, and people will understand.

How do you approach writing an episode? Do you start with a character and emotion you want to explore?

Whenever we were breaking Angel or Firefly, that’s exactly how we would approach it. What’s the story I really need to tell to get across who this person is? That really is how we break these stories, too. There’s also an element of "What’s the race of it?" Think of the race aspect of this show as the procedural aspect, the context of the case they are working on this week. That’s the same thing here. What’s the leg of the race they’re on this week, and how’s that going to help me metaphorically get to the heart of this character stuff? Now, it’s not as simple as that, because you’re talking about 10 to 12 characters that all have different things that they need, want, that kind of thing. So, one particular checkpoint may mean something very specific to one of the participants, but not every participant may end up getting to that checkpoint.

The concept has an obvious ending point with the finish line and with Tully getting his wife back, which presumably will happen about the same time. How do you develop a show like this as an ongoing concept with that apparent ending hanging over your head?

I want there to be that constant anticipation-we’re getting closer to something. What is it? I think we’re going to have to deliver on that. They’re going to have to get to a finish line.

So, after a certain number of episodes, they reach a finish line?

That’s pretty much the idea. Initially, we talked about making the first 13 take us to a finish line, but what we’re finding is that the stories are taking longer to tell, and that’s good. It feels like a season-a proper 22 or 24 episodes would get you to a finish line.

At which point, you’d re-invent the idea of the race like 24, which goes on to another day in Jack Bauer’s life?

Yeah. It would be another race and some people will be dead by then and new people would be introduced and then other people would fold over to the next season in different ways or their agendas would change or whatever. There will be winners and losers and stakes and consequences.

How many episodes are you doing this year?

Thirteen is the order.

And three of those are airing in two days?

Which is great. I always talk about Fox not promoting me-now I wish they’d stop (laughs). Stop promoting it and stop giving us three episodes in two nights-I’m running out of episodes already!

Joss Whedon: Wizarduniverse.com Interview

From Wizarduniverse.com -

Joss Whedon: Wizarduniverse.com Interview

In March 2005, when Warner Bros. Pictures announced Joss Whedon was going to write and direct a live-action Wonder Woman movie, fans went into a tizzy. The Internet lit up with casting rumors as everyone from Charisma Carpenter to Kate Beckinsale to Sophia Bush was linked to play the Amazon heroine. Whedon-who had already cemented his geek cred by creating the TV shows “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel” and “Firefly” and for writing the hit Marvel comics, Astonishing X-Men and now, Runaways-was deified practically overnight.

But then a year passed. Eighteen months. Why hadn’t production started? In early February 2007, nearly two years since he was first announced on the project, Whedon proclaimed he was stepping down due to creative differences. It was a devastating setback not only for him, but also for those who were looking forward to seeing his interpretation of Wonder Woman on the big screen.

So aside from his comics work (which includes a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer series for Dark Horse, which is essentially the show’s eighth season in comic book form), what’s next for Whedon in the world of TV and movies? Wizard sat down with the 42-year-old creative genius to talk about his next film, what the outlook for his return to TV is and to address a pesky rumor about a certain band of merry mutants.

WIZARD: There’s a rumor swirling that you’re going to write and direct an “X-Men 4” movie. Care to comment?

WHEDON: I haven’t heard the rumor, but there is no rumor that is not swirling. I don’t even know, are they even going to have an “X4”? I had been talking with [Marvel Studios] about “X3,” but the dates didn’t line up. So I took on “Wonder Woman,” and that worked out great! Oh, no wait, I remember now, not so much.

Yeah, I haven’t heard anything about “X4.” You know, the problem with the big superhero movies is there are so many hands [involved], but I really respect [Marvel Studios President of Production] Kevin Feige if they make something like that. You know they’re actually going to make it as opposed to something that’s in limbo. And you know I do love the characters. I wouldn’t say never. But right now, I’m interested in doing “Goners,” which is my own thing, as opposed to somebody else’s. I find that doing someone else’s thing is not working out so well for me-anywhere but in the word of actual comics.

With “Wonder Woman,” was it hard because Warner Bros. interfered with your vision?

Nobody interfered with my vision because literally, nobody ever said, “No, no. We want it this way.” I told them what was I going to do, they said do it, I did it, they said no. I said okay.

How’d you react?

I could feel the end for a long while. I could tell they weren’t enthused and you know our conversations were never about what the movie was about, the very few that we had. And so I just felt like, if they know what I’m going for, they don’t like it, and they may not even know, and they’ve told me they don’t even know what they are going for, just that I’m not giving it to them, so it wasn’t like they were interfering. They gave me all the freedom in the world, all the rope in the world in which to build my noose.

So, are you going to be able to see the movie when it’s been written and directed by someone else?

I have absolutely no idea, you know? I mean, it’s hard for me. I’ll tell you the honest truth, it’s just as hard for me with Batman. I never wrote any Batman [comics], but I did go in to pitch [the movie]. I still stay up late at night thinking how cool my Batman movie could have been, and I liked “Batman Begins” a lot. I thought it had some awesome stuff I would never have come up with, but I still think about what I could have done. That’s the problem when you throw your heart into those things; it just stays there. And so, it would be hard for me to see, but if it’s a good movie, made by someone I respect, my own ego isn’t keeping me away from it.

Okay, so with the announcement that David Goyer has stepped down from writing and directing “The Flash” movie...

Yeah, I know, on the same day.

Do you know why?

I don’t know what David was doing [with “The Flash”], why [Warner Bros.] didn’t like what David was doing [and I] still don’t know why they didn’t like what I was doing [with “Wonder Woman”].

Why do you think development of DC films doesn’t flow as smoothly as development of Marvel movies?

Marvel has hit their stride. They’ve had some success. And they built the first printing press-they made the template. They made “Spider-Man,” which is truly the first, great comic book adaptation and taught everybody else how they should be doing it. Oh, stay true to the comics? That’s interesting.

Marvel Comics right now is a company with the X-Men and Spider-Man, so they’ve got juice. And they’re in a rhythm. But also, the characters were made as a reaction to the DC characters.

Batman will always have a huge resonance. With Wonder Woman, you have to create [the resonance], and quite frankly, with Superman, you kind of have to create it, too. Superman’s not a young guy, and no matter who you cast, he is not a young person. That’s not who he is, so it’s a different story and it’s harder to get juiced [more ] than this patented angst at Marvel, which basically gets a response [more than] the stodgier, grown-up DC world. I think that has to do with it. Marvel’s characters really do lend themselves to adolescent identification in a way the DC characters have to reach for.

So will your version of Wonder Woman ever appear in a comic book?

No. That’s owned by the movie division and it’s a movie. Comics and movies are different and I’m not interested in adapting a story I wrote for something else unless there is a very good reason to enter a new medium. If I had never tried my hand at a Wonder Woman movie, I might have tried my hand at a Wonder Woman comic, but I think the Amazon and I are still going to see other people.

And now you’re writing and directing a new movie called “Goners” for Universal, right? What’s that project?

“Goners” is a supernatural thriller I wrote after “Serenity” and is being produced by Mary Parent.

What’s the status of it?

I’m doing a rewrite [of the script], which for a long time eluded me mostly because I was working on “Wonder Woman,” but perhaps not coincidentally, as things began to go south with “Wonder Woman,” corners began to unfold and what I needed to do became very clear, so I’m working on that right now. [So I’m working] on a draft I feel will be ready to give to the studio for, hopefully, a light of greenishness.

What about TV? You recently guest directed an episode of NBC’s “The Office.” Would you like to go back to television?

I love TV, I absolutely want to go back to TV. You know, if I have a series I believe in and I have the people to make it and a place to put it, yes. I adore television but a lot of things have to come together and while I have these other obligations, I can’t really pursue those things. I also just don’t want to get trampled on. So I’m a little skittish... What do you mean, “trampled on”?

“Trampled on” as in having someone cancelling out from under you two things in one year. When a story doesn’t get finished being told, or you’re the victim of wrong-headed business decisions that nobody even seems to be losing sleep over, you really don’t want to walk in that world anymore. So, I’m not interested in telling stories that nobody is going to see. I don’t feel like making a pilot and seeing if it goes. I feel like if I make something, it has to have a venue. Whether that is a low-budget movie, a DVD or TV with commitment to DVD, whatever it is, I can’t tell the stories nobody hears anymore. I’ve done that in my life.

So do you have any ideas for a new TV show now?

I have ideas all the time.

Care to share?

I never tell anyone my ideas.

Let’s switch gears. Do you watch the new “Battlestar Galactica” series on the SCI FI Channel?

I love it.

Would you like to direct an episode?

You know, yes and no. In a way, I would like to see behind the curtain. I adore the way they tell stories, and I just soak it up. My favorite thing to do is sit with my wife and watch “Battlestar,” but I directed “The Office” and that turned out to be so much fun. You know, to be a director for hire and to walk in someone else’s house is not an easy thing to do.

What do you mean?

Everybody knows what they’re doing, and who are you to tell them how to do it? If they don’t want to be collaborative then you’re just sitting around. In “The Office,” they couldn’t be more nicer or collaborative or more interested in working hard and getting it done, and to a man, it was a great experience, but that’s not always the case. And even then, I’m basically servicing [executive producer] Greg Daniels’ vision, which is fun to do, but it’s not actually part of my career. That’s really me just taking a vacation, a really tiring vacation.

Who do you think is the hottest actress on “Battlestar”?

Ouch! The hottest? I don’t even think I could...whoever is on screen is my answer. Starbuck [Katee Sackhoff] is so fascinating, Sharon [Grace Park] is so beautiful and tortured, but I think I’m going to have to give it up for President Roslin [Mary McDonnell]. She holds the screen with the iron grip. I find her absolutely fascinating.

So Roslin is your favorite...

Ah, you know, what day is it? She might be. If you put a gun to my head and I had to choose, she just might be. But my God, that’s a tough one.

The Importance Of Being 'Buffy' - Old series worth a new look

From Syfyportal.com -

The Importance Of Being 'Buffy' - Old series worth a new look

With "Battlestar Galactica" on hiatus for months, "Heroes" and "Dexter" taking a break and "Rome" gone by the wayside, I have found myself delving into my DVD case for something to watch.

As has so often happened in the past, I’ve skimmed over the hundreds of DVDs I own, my fingers landing decisively on the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series. There’s just something about it that has prompted me to revisit its seven seasons every so often.

Now on my fifth or so run through of the series, I’ve come to a few conclusions about the powers that be behind the effort. First off, they managed to create something unlike anything that had ever been or has been since. The multi-layered show had, and still has, an uncanny ability to draw people in from all walks of life. From teenyboppers to baby boomers and even some septuagenarians, "Buffy’s" faithful followers even reflect all age groups.

So, what is it exactly that has people so attached to this series, even years after its finale?

It’s the realism of it all.

Yes, of course, there are vampires, werewolves, a slayer or hundreds, witches and even evil robots and animated dolls. The horror aspect is fantastic, don’t get me wrong. But, it’s really just the icing on the cake, especially for a horror fan like me.

At the heart of "Buffy" was a group of folks who managed to make people care about their characters. Sure, it was her job to slay, but Buffy herself became almost real to the faithful. Xander with his insecurities and undying loyalty was the friend we all hoped to have. Willow’s charming intellect and naiveté made her feel like the girl next door.

Even beyond that, there was the fact anyone who has gone to high school could relate to the show. Most of us have felt invisible like Marcie in "Out of Sight, Out of Mind." Those who couldn’t relate to that character perhaps felt some compassion for Cordelia’s sense of being alone in a crowd. With its deep look under the surface of humanity, "Buffy" just managed to reach out and touch people no matter their personal reality past or present.

Add to all of that the action, the fun and the incredible quick-witted humor and the recipe for success was just undeniable. Much of this was mirrored in "Angel" and even "Firefly," but it was "Buffy" that started it all and had the universal appeal of high school hell.

The everyday battle of good vs. evil that embodies high school life and growing up in general struck a chord that’s still strumming for fans of the past and those who now pick up the series for the very first time.

It could have been a long summer without some of the shows that have managed to suck me in as of late, but thanks to DVDs, I’ll be spending part of my spare time visiting old friends.

With any luck, I’ll be able to fit "Angel" in before the leaves start changing colors.

Book Rec of the Day 4/24/2007

SPIRITUALITY

“I read Lewis for comfort and pleasure many years ago, and a glance into the books revives my old admiration.”—John Updike

C. S. Lewis may be best known for his children’s series, The Chronicles of Narnia. In addition to these wonders Lewis left us a rich store of writing on Christianity. The Screwtape Letters is a brilliant satire in which an experienced demon, Screwtape, instructs his protégé, Wormwood, in the art of tempting the faithful. A modern classic, brilliantly conceived and executed.

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, by C. S. Lewis (1942; HarperSanFrancisco, 2001)

Sports Fact of the Day 4/24/2007

4/24/1971
Times at 9.2 seconds, speedster Mel Gray of Missouri wins the 100-yard dash for the third straight year at the Dranke Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Gray will parlay his speed into a 14-year career in the NFL as a wide receiver with the St. Louis Cardinals. He'll catch at least one pass in a franchise record 121 straight games and average an exceptional 18.9 yards per catch.

(It'd be interesting to know if that record includes the Chicago Cardinals franchise.)

Birthdays:
Vince Ferragamo b. 1954
Omar Vizquel b. 1967
Chipper Jones b. 1972
Eric Snow b. 1972
Carlos Beltran b. 1977

Book Rec of the Day 4/23/2007

“A delicious book...a joy.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A beguiling memoir.”—The New Yorker

“Smart and quick witted.”—The Washington Post

Pépin started his career as a 13-year-old apprentice to a chef in France and rose to become, in Julia Child’s estimation, “the best chef in America.” His memoir is full of delights and surprises for foodies. Only by reading it will you learn why he chose a job at Howard Johnson over one in the Kennedy White House.

THE APPRENTICE: MY LIFE IN THE KITCHEN, by Jacques Pépin (Houghton Mifflin, 2004)

Sports Fact of the Day 4/23/2007

4/23/1977:
Seattle Slew continues his march toward the Triple Crown with a convincing victory at the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York. Ridden by Jean Cruguet, the highly regarded Slew rewards his backers with a three-length victory over Sanhedrin. Earning increased cachet among the racing public with each superb outing, the elegant three-year-old is destined to become the only undefeated winner of the Triple Crown.

Birthdays:
Jim Bottomley b. 1900
Warren Spahn b. 1921
Tony Esposito b. 1943
Gail Goodrich b. 1943
Andruw Jones b. 1977