Attention wannabe (or misunderstood) superheroes! Suit up and pull out the video camera!
SCI FI Channel is partnering with legendary comic book creator Stan Lee’s (Spider-Man, Hulk, The Fantastic Four, X-Men) to cast a six-episode, one-hour reality series that will challenge a lucky few to create their very own superhero.
According to the press release:
Potential heroes from all walks of life are encouraged to submit their audition tapes by mail or attend a one-time, in-person open casting call in Los Angeles on April 4 attended by Stan Lee! All you’ll need is an original idea, a killer costume and some real superhero mojo. The winner of this six-week competition will walk away with their superhero identity immortalized in a new comic book created by Stan Lee himself!
Auditioning superheros should be prepared to prove their mettle – revealing the true nature of their superhuman abilities and invoking the noble credos by which they live. From these thousands of hopefuls, Stan Lee will choose 11 lucky finalists to move into a secret lair and compete for the opportunity to become a real-life Superhero!
“While no one is expected to leap tall buildings in a single bound, our aspiring heroes will be tested on their courage, integrity, self-sacrifice, compassion and resourcefulness – the stuff of all true superheroes,” stated Lee.
I don’t get the Sci-Fi channel, but I’d love to see how they do this. On one hand, it sounds like a call out to Nerdville — visions of overweight guys testing the physical limits of spandex immediately come to mind — but based on the traits they’re looking for in the winner, it could be quite an interesting concept. I love the idea of honoring the everyday heroes that walk among us. I’m just a little leery that it might turn into a cornucopia of mullet wearing thirty-two-year-old dweebs who still live at home and think this could be their big break.
Still, considering that everybody has at least on hidden talent, it brings up an interesting question: What’s your super power?
Technorati Tags: superheroes, sci-fi channel, Stan Lee, reality shows
Today I got word that the newest issue of Madison Magazine hit the newsstands. In it is an Up and Comers article that features yours truly. It’s a pretty neat article discussing my crusade against Adultitis. But I think it’s weird to be called an "Up and Comer." Considering I’ve been at this for almost six years, I’m not sure what qualified me.
Now that I think about it, there’s a lot of pressure on me all of a sudden. I remember collecting baseball cards as a kid. I remember pulling out cards of young players, brandished with logos like "Rated Rookie," "Future Star," or "Up and Comer." I’d be careful to keep all of those cards in special care; you’d never know which ones would turn out to be valuable collectibles. It was always interesting to wait five years and see which ones were on their way to the Hall of Fame and which ones were now working as used car salesmen in Poughkipsie.
It’s always kind of nice to fly under the radar. People don’t expect much and it’s easy to surprise them with a good performance. But now I sort of feel like an NBA lottery pick, or a finalist on American Idol. In five or ten years, will the editors of Madison Magazine look back on their Up and Comer selection for April 2006 and say, "Yep, we called it. We knew this guy would be huge." or "Who’s this bum? What were we thinking?"
We shall see what the future holds. For now, I’ll just keep working hard and take this article as a sign that we’re headed in the right direction. And try to keep visions of Todd Van Poppel’s Rated Rookie card out of my head.
Technorati Tags: baseball cards, Madison Magazine, rookie card, Adultitis, American Idol, Todd Van Poppel
Tonight I am quite proud of my little brother for finishing as runner-up in the highly prestigious Mustaches For Kids competition. Long-time readers may remember me blogging about this event last year. I was supposed to be a judge, but got sick. I was invited to judge this year as well, but had to decline because I was related to one of the entries. My brother Doug, who moved to Madison with his wife late last summer, has been cultivating his mustache for four weeks now. He ended up going as a sleazy van conversion salesman, and put on quite a performance. His improv and acting experience came in handy and was so convincing that I could barely resist the urge to bolt out of there and take a shower. (He really kicked butt in the Mustache Posedown.)
You can have your black tie affairs. They may raise more money, but they’re not nearly as fun or heartfelt as this event was tonight. Nearly $4,000 was raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and I saw firsthand how a little childlike spirit can go a long way to attack Adultitis and make a real difference, too.
Way to go, Doug.
Technorati Tags: Mustache, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Adultitis, charity, Mustaches for Kids
The calendar informed us a few days ago that it is now spring. There really aren’t any buds on the tree branches yet and even though the weather hasn’t reflected “spring” lately, today we got a taste. It was one of those days that reminds me quickly why I love living in Madison, WI. Even though the last few months have been filled with cold winds and snowflakes, days like today make it all worthwhile. Jason and I got a chance to go on a walk around the city. We picked up some sandwiches for lunch and sat down by the still partially frozen Lake Mendota. Ok, so it was a little colder by the lake than we had hoped (40’s), but the sun helped. I don’t know what I enjoy more, the walk or the nap afterwards with the window open and warm blankets to offset the cool air…I love spring.
Kim and I are kicking around the idea of taking a week off and do absolutely NOTHING. To be honest, I’d love to be locked in a lakeside cabin up north somewhere, but we don’t have the funds to do anything fancy like that. If it happens, it’ll probably be a low-tech, in-house sort of thing. No phones, no TV, maybe even no e-mail. Right now, the idea is as frightening as it is tempting — a whole week off? The company will surely implode, won’t it?
The reality is that in order to really work smarter, we need a little time to detox. Somehow our society got the idea that "busy" is good and admirable; a sign that we’re successful. As I mention in my book, even our vacations are busy. Gotta do and see everything you possibly can. Those vacations can be fun, but our bodies (and souls) need some quiet time away, too. It’s like we’re jars of muddy water. When we’re busy and in constant motion, things can get pretty cloudy. But if we take the time to sit for a bit, the dirt settles, and life gets clearer. You can shake the jar as forcefully as you want (work harder), but until you actually STOP, you won’t be able to see clearly, allowing yourself to work smarter.
In an article on thestar.com, Ruth Liew makes some really good points. She accurately points out the aversion of adults to silence:
Many people are stressed out in their daily lives. They are unable to gain composure. Anxiety rises when they try to be tranquil. They get worried when there is silence. They need to be in a room that is filled with sounds from all directions. They chatter away without thinking much about what they are saying.
Most adults get anxious when it gets too quiet. Joggers wear headphones and listen to music as they exercise in the mornings. Some restaurants have television sets mounted in every corner. We carry our mobile phones wherever we go.
The whole article is a gem worth reading, but here are a few more highlights from Ruth:
Young children like a quiet hideaway place. Sometimes this place is in a discarded box or a space under the stairs or a wardrobe. Some children crawl under the bed or the dining table and imagine they are in another, faraway place.
When children are given free time, they tend to achieve more because they are not stressed by demands. I remember watching a precocious three-year-old who seemed a little “lost” in her nursery school. While the other children were in their respective classrooms, she would lie down on a large cushion and perform her own soliloquies.
She would say, “I don’t know why I don’t have any friends. I like them but they don’t like me. What shall I do?” After uttering those words, she got up and went to meet her peers in the next room. She had worked it all out by herself. Children discover their inner selves when they retreat from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
The article really focuses on children, and how important it is for parents to allow their kids opportunities for some quiet. But I think the lesson the lesson is applicable to all of us.
When life gets muddy and out of control, the secret to a clarity is to find a secret hideaway place, slow down, and shut up.
Technorati Tags: stress, stressed out, retreat, vacation
"I’d rather eat my own fingers than beets."
–My wife, when asked if she’d rather survive on beets, radishes, or liver if she was stranded on Mt. Everest.
Today while in Minneapolis Jason and I had the privilege of meeting a fine young man named Michael. He, too, is a cartoonist and he’s also an aspiring actor. Talking with Michael brought a smile to my heart. He reminded me that we can accomplish so much with big dreams, big smiles, and big faith. Thanks, Michael!
In this podcast, brought to you from Madison, Wisconsin, we ponder the question, “Is slacking off a good thing?” Also, we talk about senior citizens playing video games, an ice cream spaghetti maker, and brain shrinkage…
