Covering Human Target at San Diego Comic Con 2010 for Suite101.com

While I used to have fun at Comic Con, recently there have just been too damn many people going there to enjoy it. Not only is it claustrophobic, but you can't get any business done, and you can't get into anything without waiting hours in line. And we are not there to stand in line -- our time is too valuable.

This year was different as I was doing press coverage for Suite101.com -- the online site I write for. Despite it being a lot of work, I really enjoyed doing this. It made going to Comic Con fun again.

I've already written up went we learned in the press room for Sons of Anarchy. So this one celebrates me getting the articles on Human Target online.

There are four articles on my page at Suite101.com:

1. Human Target As Charlie & Her Angels, Revealed at Comic Con 2010

2. Like It Or Not, Human Target's Men Got Each Other's Backs

3. On Becoming Human Targets: Stars and Boss at SD Comic Con 2010

4. Human Target Will Show Team's Conflicts and Emotions in Season 2.

But even with writing up four articles, there was left-over information that I didn't get to use. So I thought I'd share that here.

Unlike at the Sons of Anarchy press room where I got one-on-one attention, I was in a round table situation here. We all sat patiently as each of the actors and showrunner made their way down the 'live feed' press line. So when Chi McBride came over and we all scooted our microphones at him, it was funny when he stared at them and said, "... I don't know what to say."

I immediately piped up with, "I'll give you something to say."

He answered, "Give me a question."

And I asked him to describe how his character felt about the other main characters and their relationships. He came back with the whole dysfunctional answer which are covered in the articles.

When asked about back stories, Chi said, "Yeah, I think we see a lot more what happens to these guys when they're off the clock. Winston's got an ex-wife. And I don't know about you guys but I think that nothing makes a guy happier than when he's got to deal with his ex-wife." This is said while Chi shakes his head side to side and grins from ear to ear. "That's got to be the high point -- do you know what I mean? Like when you're in the middle of a divorce, you probably say, 'Can we still see each other? And spend time together? because that'll be the best.' But we're gonna have that happen and see Winston's brother who's on the wrong side of the law in his business. So you see a lot of what these guys are like, what makes them tick, and how the team is more cohesive when they're working together."

Both Mark and Chi are looking forward to Lennie James returning as Baptiste. Chi said, "We love us some Lennie James." And Mark added, "He's a firearms expert. He's a car enthusiast." To which Chi turned to Mark and said, "Yeah." Shows what appeals to men.

Turning back to us, Chi explained, "Lennie is straight bad-ass. He really is and Matt has a great way to bring him back. We just want to see more of him. He’s a wonderful actor, he’s a real gentleman and a pleasure to work with. That’s one of the things that’s pretty much a common thread on this show. We have people who enjoy working together and who enjoy personally and spend time together working. And it’s not like working."

Another cool question from the floor during the panel was what was Chance's Kryptonite? "We’re floating that it’s pretty important for Chance to have people who believed in him," Mark answered. "He spent so much time working solo, working on his own. His conscience sort of caught up with him. So there’s that sort of thing that haunts him. It’s the people in the present that kinda believe in him and work with him on his team that are going to be able to help him or they are the ones who ultimately betray him and leave him vulnerable. No pressure, guys.”

During the Q&A at the panel, a girl got up to ask a question and Jackie Earle Haley saw that she was dressed as his character Guerrero. He was so delighted that he asked her to come up on stage to ask her question. The photo to the left is from that moment. Oddly though, I can't remember what her question was.

For more, check out my articles at Suite101.com. The photo credits here go to Greg Gayne/2010 WBEI. The photos I took weren't very good at all, but then being an artist or photographer is not in my skill set. I'm grateful that I can write and act.

And finally, I want to thank Natalia Desrosiers and Chris Cottle of Warner Brothers Publicity for making this all happen and for all their hard work, without which, this wouldn't have happened at all.

Facebook Page for The Family Crystal

We now have a Facebook page for The Family Crystal, the web series we are currently filming in HD, I gather, and in which I am starring as the title character, Crystal. Hopefully you can link to it by clicking here.

This is so exciting to me.

I hope you will stop by and give me your thoughts.

Day 2 of Principal Photography on the Family Crystal

Today was our second day of shooting on our Web Series, The Family Crystal. It was so hot that there was a point under the hot lights in the hot house in the hot Valley (Sylmar) that I couldn't remember the lines I had just rehearsed word perfect. I went totally blank.

All I could think of was how hot I was. Mindy put an ice pack on the back of my neck and that helped a lot.

Even though the house has air conditioning, we couldn't use it. We'd have to turn it off every time we'd film for the noise factor. And the crew left the doors open to the house so they could run equipment in and out. And even though fans were brought in to help with the heat in places like the makeup room, they had to be turned off when shooting.

We did many of the shorter scenes today just because of location and that meant more costume changes. My ears are very sore for taking earrings in and out, even with the wires dipped in antibiotics like Neosporin to take away the pain.

Unfortunately, by the end of the day, we hadn't accomplished the ambitious 15-page count Elaine was hoping to achieve, so we have been pushed back even farther.

What was nice was the 10-minute ice cream break we got. That was a welcome surprise. It gave people a chance to settle their stomachs and feel a little less hot.

We shoot again on Friday. I'm so looking forward to it.

Day One of Principal Photography on The Family Crystal Web Series

We finished shooting our first day on our web series, The Family Crystal, which I'm starring in. Talented people and a brilliant script came together to create magic. We have only 5 days to shoot 26 episodes for the Internet... some as short as a half minute or as long as 5 minutes.

It didn't start out great. My call time was 7 am. The I-170 was smooth sailing as you would expect that early in the morning, but when I hit the I-5, it was bumper to bumper crawling. That was because they had closed one lane, then a second, then a third -- the three right lanes. But worse than that, they closed the ramp I was planning to exit on. And the next ramp. So there I was, going to a place out in what I considered the boonies, where I had never been to, and they closed the two adjacent ramps. I don't have any fancy GPS. So I was worried about whether I had overshot the street I was looking for when I got off and circled back After all, who knows whether the freeway angles. Turns out I didn't overshoot the cross street I wanted but I had to go to the very end of the street before I knew that. And of course, I panicked before then, calling the producer and asking, have I gone too far.

Once inside, the first place you deal with is the makeup room and the costume room. I have 30 costume changes in the 2 seasons of 13 episodes each. Obviously we will have to use some of these things more than once. The picture to the right shows you some of my costumes -- the unwrinkable tops are in the suitcase beneath the ones hanging up.

Then when we tried to shoot the first scene, we kept blowing fuses, so we'd lose a camera or sound -- we were shooting three cameras at a time, the master and two closeups. So we lost at least an hour while the crew brought in extension cords and latticed the plugs around the house until we could run everything we needed without blowing fuses.

To the left is Leah Allers, who plays my sister Rhonda, getting made up by our wonderful make-up and hair lady, Mindy. And Leah, once she's ready to step in front of the cameras.
With all the delays that were unexpected, we were only about to shoot about 10-12 pages rather than the fifteen director Elaine Zicree wanted to accomplish.

What follows is a few pictures from the shoot to give you a flavor of our set. Elaine had rehearsed us so well that our performances went exceedingly well... and quick. We only had about 3 or 4 takes a scene. And only a couple of pickups. I'm sure that made the crew as happy as we were.

I don't want to spoil the fun or suspense for you when the series hits the web, so I won't say much about the actual plot. However, Leah and another actor, Eric Rubin had a stunt, choreographed by a real working stuntman (from the show Criminal Minds) so they wouldn't get hurt, that yours truly here would have been too chicken to try.

When it gets up on the Net, and you have a chance to view it, then I'll give some behind the scenes tidbits.

As you can see, a set is a busy place. But it isn't all hard work. We do get a chance to play as well.

Barry Alexander who plays my brother-in-law, Eric, Rhonda's husband, goofs off first with Mindy, the makeup and hair guru and then with me.

Tomorrow we will be shooting day 2, but this time my call time is at 8 am... a much more civilized hour... better to have to get up at 6 am than 5 am...

Last Rehearsal for The Family Crystal before Principal Photography Begins

Today is the last rehearsal we have for The Family Crystal web series. Tomorrow we begin principal photography and my call time is 7 am. Means I'm going to have to wake up at 5 am to be able to feed the kitties, get my act together and get there by 7 am. Ugh.

Cast members:
Crystal - played by me, Crystal Ann Taylor
my sister Rhonda played by Leah Allers
my Dad is played by Tom Katsis
Rhonda's husband is played by Barry Alexander
The beauty consultant is played by Peter Bedard
Therapist is played by Katherine McEwan
Beauty Crystal is played by Angel Wainwright
The tutor is played by Eric Rubin.

These actors are terrific and it's awesome that I'm in their presence.

The writer/director is Elaine Zicree
Producers are Susan Shearer and Richard Redlin.
Eugenia Care is assisting the producers and doing everything else we need.

We have a crew of professionals working on this as well, but I don't know who yet.

One on One Interviews of Sons of Anarchy at SD Comic Con 2010 Makes For Better Articles

I had a rare privilege of one-on-one interviews with Katey Sagal, Charlie Hunnam, and Ron Perlman in the pressroom of San Diego Comic Con from the brilliant show Sons of Anarchy. Because of that, I could ask questions that would lend themselves to a cohesive theme and write a feature article as a result.

Unfortunately, time ran out before I could speak with Kurt Sutter as they all had to rush out to do the panel.

If you wish to read the articles, they are here, and as always I welcome your feedback:

First one is Sons of Anarchy at Comic Con 2010 - At the Core It's About Family.


Second one is Sons of Anarchy at Comic Con 2010 - Stars Dish About Third Season.

I'm grateful to Scott Seomin, Roslyn Bibby, and Kristy Silvernail -- all of FX network -- for making this possible.

Rehearsals for the Family Crystal web series

Rehearsals for The Family Crystal web series has swung into high gear. We had rehearsals yesterday and today. Both days of rehearsal concentrated on the family dynamics scenes.

Yesterday we concentrated on season 2 while today we concentrated on season 1.

We will be shooting out of sequence just like traditional TV and movies do, so we are going to be doing both seasons simultaneously over the course of two weekends.

Rehearsals are so much fun as the script is very funny. We can't help but laugh throughout. And of course, that's me in the title role. However, all the actors are great. Elaine Zicree is the writer/director. Tom Katsis stars as my drunken, alcoholic father.

For a description of it all, visit the website, The Family Crystal. It's still sketchy but will have more info as things get further along. Hey, I'm not doing the website, so I have no control over it.