One thousand articles. It’s a landmark and personal best for me, although for some writers on here, it may be long forgotten. I’ve always believed in quality over quantity, however, it’s certainly nice to boast a large portfolio of work for anybody doing pretty much anything. Maybe I’m a tad envious of those with voluminous daily output? Perhaps. I’d say I’m more bewildered over just how much anyone can write – at least write well – in a single day. I’ve tried to average about 3 to 4 articles a week, and also fit in my other writing – my screenplays and novels. I gave some thought to what my 1,000th article would be. I finally decided the easy way out was to select my top 10 best. Or the ones I was most contented with having written – those which came out close to how I envisioned them.
A little self promotion never hurt anyone, right? Here they are – in no particular order – my Top 10 from 1000:
An Interview with The Simpsons’ Nancy Cartwright – Bart Simpson Himself
One of my first celebrity interviews and still one of the most exciting I’ve ever done. Nancy Cartwright was so generous in her time – especially since this came about right around the release of ‘The Simpsons’ feature film.
Howard Stern’s ‘Private Parts’ Nearly Canceled My ‘Star Trek’ TV Interview
I’d been meaning to write this one up for years. A friend kept urging me to do it, and I’m glad I did. If you ever get the chance to be interviewed by a major television network, make sure that you stand up for yourself as I did. Who cares what some anchor thinks? This is your moment to shine – don’t let anyone ruin it for you.
COMPUTER ANIMATION: What Would Walt Disney Think of Today’s Digital Wonders?
I’m a huge animation fan. Sadly, my prediction of “The Frog Princess” perhaps reviving Disney’s hand drawn feature films didn’t come to pass. Still, great animation abounds today. I just caught an episode of the new Scooby Doo series, and it’s such excellent quality – from story, voice acting and animation.
The Simpsons VS. South Park: Dueling Comedy Styles
With news that FOX has renewed “The Simpsons” for an amazing 26th season, I thought this one was in order to make the list. I still love the boys of ‘South Park’, but Simpsons will always be my favorite comedy house party.
Ray Harryhausen: Master of Stop Motion Animation
The master of cinema stop motion animation died this year. His cinematic influence is still felt today, despite the use of computers to conjure the same magic he did with models and clay. I met the man at a movie retrospective of his and book signing. It was a purely magical moment for me.
Writing for Television: Preparing for and Surviving a Hollywood Pitch
I’ve written scripts for television – for ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ and ‘Deep Space Nine.’ I’ve pitched to several other TV shows as well. Here’s my prep advice when landing a pitch meeting.
Groundhog Day : Bill Murray’s Funniest and Most Philosophical Film
I don’t write many movie reviews, though this one is more about the philosophical concept behind the film – one of my all time favorites.
The Quest for the Perfect Pizza
Who doesn’t like pizza? Occasionally, a pizza is beyond perfect – it was just that side of perfection the night that made me write this one. Buon Appetito!
Associated Content: Creating Serious Publishers One Writer at a Time
Back when Yahoo! Voices was Associated Content, I wrote this to emphasize just how well AC was shaking things up in the content creation world. Now that we’re Yahoo!, I still feel exactly the same way.
Spider-man: My Experience Watching the Filming of the First Movie
Sometimes things just happen to you out of the blue. When they do, hold them close and savor them. I had the rare privilege to watch a blockbuster movie film about an hour before I started work in Manhattan. The best part about it was that the movie was none other than the first Spider-Man from director Sam Raimi (Evil Dead), and I’m a huge Spidey fan!