Or: A Boy Raised by (Stuffed) Wolves Kate West (Writer) As a child, Bill Olson believed everything around him was alive, with actual feelings. Especially his stuffed animals (to let you in on a little secret: HE STILL BELIEVES THIS.) More on this later. Bill grew up (if you can really call it that) to be an actor, a juggler, a teacher of the Alexander Technique and a puppeteer with Lunatique Fantastique. He likes to say he misspent his adulthood with decades of acting, directing, writing and producing. But it paid off (another little secret: NOT WITH MONEY - do... Continue reading

A Reflection on a Master of Horror by Kate West (Writer) I've been reading Stephen King since high school. Confession: I spent most summers feverishly reading all the assigned homework (as a bookworm, I was one of the few girls who looked forward to that assignment - who didn't love Mr. Darcy and Mr. Rochester?), but what really kept me up all night reading was, and still is, the sci-fi/fantasy genre. I read The Hunger Games trilogy in three nights (well OK that one was yesterday), The Lord of the Rings series probably in a week and the latest enormous... Continue reading

From a Film Perspective Anyway Kate West (Writer) In the world of sports, people can get pretty passionate. And since I have kind of an entertainment background, I can get pretty riled up about sports too, at least from a cinematic point of view. Since the baseball season is almost over, I just remembered an argument I had with my brother over whether baseball or football was the subject of more movies. He said there were just as many football movies as baseball and I insisted it was baseball. A little background first. I used to be a San Francisco... Continue reading

30-Second Bunnies: Please Come Back Soon! Kate West (Writer) I have been itching for the return of the 30-Second Bunnies! Since (roughly) 2001, Angry Alien Productions has done mini parodies of popular films, with, wait for it, cartoon bunnies. They act out the essential story in 30 seconds. The voiceovers are hilarious, the drawings adorable and the addiction factor sky high.Speaking of viral (well I was in my head), they've exceeded one billion views (you heard that right). Just so you know. But they've been on hiatus for a while, so I can only rewatch some of my favorites. A... Continue reading

Call Me Crazy (But Call Me) Kate West (Writer) Summer is vacation time for most (including TV stars) and this year I'm spending (well, some of) it on reruns (remember those?) These days you can be in charge of your own reruns, thanks to Netflix and Hulu. Me? I'm revisiting Frasier, the Cheers spin-off, where everyone knew your name. I found that it still compels me and that I still care about the characters. And the writing. Good writing is essential to what I watch, on the small or big screen. If you've never seen it, Psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey... Continue reading

The Hidden Room Brings Shakespeare to You - Anywhere Kate West (Writer) Thank goodness I check my Facebook and Twitter accounts obsessively, or I would have missed* The Hidden Room's live stream of "Rose Rage" (last Sunday), an adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry VI trilogy by Edward Hall and Roger Warren. The Propeller Theatre Company (all male British Shakespeare Company) did it first, but The Hidden Room cast has a slightly new take on that excellent original. Based in Austin, Texas, The Hidden Room rehearsed with their local actors and a few actors from the Foreign Exchange Program. Meaning, three British... Continue reading

Thoughts on the Sci-Fi Great Kate West (Writer) Literary giant Ray Bradbury passed away on June 5 this summer. I'm still thinking about this because for one thing, I'm a fan, and for another, my dad is a fan. Plus he was good. Really good. So Bradbury has been pretty influential on my taste in literature. I'm not quite a fan girl (well OK yes I did go to Comic-Con, why do you ask?) but I have a healthy appreciation for fantasy and prefer it in my movies and freestyle reading. While The Martian Chronicles will always be my favorite,... Continue reading

Oh and I Went to Comic-Con Too Kate West (Writer) So I finally made it to Comic-Con! First time. It's Nerd Mecca, initially featuring all the latest and classic comic books and vendors from around the world, but now of course much more Hollywoodized, featuring the latest movie or TV show you have to see. I'm talking about the famous San Diego Comic Convention, where people dress up as their favorite sci-fi/fantasy characters, from Star Wars and Star Trek to Zombies and Flo, the Progressive Lady. The sheer size of this event is staggering and if you hate crowds and... Continue reading

The Horse That Should Have Been a Triple Crown Winner Kate West (Writer) The little under-horse that (almost) could, I'll Have Another, won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness this year and was a strong contender to take the Belmont Stakes to become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. Up against favorite Bodemeister, twice, once in the Derby and once at Belmont, I'll Have Another came from behind in dramatic fashion to overtake Bodemeister and beat him, against heavy odds. Twice. Unfortunately, the feisty horse was sidelined with an injury and forced into retirement, so we'll never know if... Continue reading

Kate West (Writer) This is my friend Drew Droege. He does Chloë Sevigny impersonations. Well, parodies. Well, it's his own thing, really. If you don't know who Chloë Sevigny is, she's an indie fashionista, an off and on IT girl, mostly known for HBO's Big Love (about polygamy). Drew is really doing her as a character, as a joke within a joke. I know she doesn't get it. But hipsters do. And while I don't always get every hip reference, I do get that it's a hip thing developed into a cult phenomenon. Trending the trendy. And it always makes... Continue reading

Rex Pickett's Novel, Vertical, as a Movie Kate West (Writer) The author Rex Pickett is best known for his original novel, Sideways, the basis of the cult road movie by Alexander Payne. A more urbane take on the usual buddy movie, Sideways involves a lot of wine tasting (mostly pinot noir) and some philandering. The cult part comes from turning the Santa Ynez Valley into a vino mecca for film fans. If you're familiar with the movie starring Paul Giamatti, you'll be happy to know there is a live stage version right here in Los Angeles. Sideways the Play is... Continue reading

by Kate West (Writer) This video makes me happy. Two Push Two Productions (2P2), a delightful video company that illustrates stories via stuffed animals, just did another video for a Caspar Babypants (a.k.a. Chris Ballew of The Presidents of the United States of America) song (check out their first collaboration here). Upbeat, quirky and cute, The Frogs shows us leaping frogs and "hoppy" music.Silly and fun, unique and charming, this one is geared more towards the parent/kid set than some of the other great videos (and they are all awfully sweet) - what's not to love? Happy froggies! So happy... Continue reading