Friday, May 27, 2005
Brent's Trip to the Lucas Ranch
So the irrepressable Brent landed this killer job with this video game magazine company in San Francisco and he gets to travel and go cool places. Yesterday he 'did lunch' at the George Lucas compound in Marin County. What follows is his email to me of the experience. I'm pretty jealous.
"Well, first we went to LucasArts the video game branch for Lucas. We then got into a car and drove 15 minutes through the hills of northern California. About 10 minutes into the drive, my contact at Lucas Arts says, 'Ok, George owns all of this starting here, about 3,000 acres. To your right you will see Black Rock Ranch. This a newer building which George just built in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Now when I say George just built it, that's what I mean. He takes great pride in actually drawing the plans for his buildings and overseeing their construction.'
"Then we continued driving for a bit and pulled into this non-descript driveway on the right hand side. There was a gate house, but no sign. We pass through security and continue driving up this long driveway. On the way we saw all kinds of animals just running around free. The first thing we saw was his private winery and dairy farm on premises. then we turn the corner and see the ranch.
"Now ranch is not the term I would have used. Imagine a gorgeous Hotel in the middle of nature. This is the size and scope of it. On the outside perimeter there is a huge BBQ pit which wasn't in use, but had the charred look of frequent use. There were also buildings surrounding the main house where a lot of the film post-production was done. The main house itself was breathtaking. It was done in the period of 1918 architecture, but was actually built in 1978/79.
"Apparently George wrote a whole story about the house. How their was a railroad tycoon back east who made a fortune, and then his whole family died , and then he moved to CA and built this house. He gave the story to the architects and said build me this house. The result was this humongous home. Humongous not just in outward size, but also inside the home as well. I thought I would find tons of rooms, but instead their are very few rooms on the ground floor, but each room is impressive in size and scope.
"We had lunch there in the dining room and it was delicious. They served chicken tacos w/ all the trimmings, Caesar salad, and 3 different kinds of dessert. And all the food was restaurant quality, more of a buffet than a cafeteria. After lunch we were given a walking tour of the ground floor. We saw his sitting room, which had a ton of memorabilia in it - Luke, Obi Wan's, Yoda's and Darth Vader's original light sabers; Indiana Jone's hat and whip from Raiders of the Lost Ark, also the idol from the beginning of the movie. There was also a framed picture of those old school British Police Officer comedy troupe. You know the one that was from the silent era. Not sure what the connection is there.
"He walked us into a room with a gigantic fireplace and hanging above it is an original Norman Rockwell painting. He then tells us that there is a 25 bedroom building on the ranch where people stay while working on films. Each suite is named after an artist and is decorated in original works by that artist. The last thing we saw was "The Library." Imagine a library the size of the back are of Gburg's library. You know, where it's circular and everyone sat and studied - with the huge domed ceiling. Now imagine it a little bigger than that section with books rising up to the ceiling and a private librarian sitting there. The walls are lined with books which detailed different time periods, and different fantasy/ folklore for movie research. Also, any book in print could be ordered through this library and be received within 48 hours.
"The ceiling was a beautiful stained glass dome. Lucas shipped in Italian glass workers. They built a glass workshop on site and then built the stained glass dome on site and installed it. Connected to the library was the green house. We walked in and immediately started to work up a sweat from the heat in there. The green house over looked a below ground section of the house which housed George's private film and sound editing rooms. Apparently the house was built with the concept of advancing technology, so underground all the latest in technology is at your fingertips. The whole house is also wired with fiber optic cable, but I didn't see anything that showed off the technology.
"It is hard to compare the ranch to anything else I've ever seen. Like a great movie set, you get this sense of the house being very old, when in reality it isn't. The scope of it could be put on the same level as Monticello or Mt Vernon. Regardless, it is an experience I won't soon forget.
-B"
"Well, first we went to LucasArts the video game branch for Lucas. We then got into a car and drove 15 minutes through the hills of northern California. About 10 minutes into the drive, my contact at Lucas Arts says, 'Ok, George owns all of this starting here, about 3,000 acres. To your right you will see Black Rock Ranch. This a newer building which George just built in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. Now when I say George just built it, that's what I mean. He takes great pride in actually drawing the plans for his buildings and overseeing their construction.'
"Then we continued driving for a bit and pulled into this non-descript driveway on the right hand side. There was a gate house, but no sign. We pass through security and continue driving up this long driveway. On the way we saw all kinds of animals just running around free. The first thing we saw was his private winery and dairy farm on premises. then we turn the corner and see the ranch.
"Now ranch is not the term I would have used. Imagine a gorgeous Hotel in the middle of nature. This is the size and scope of it. On the outside perimeter there is a huge BBQ pit which wasn't in use, but had the charred look of frequent use. There were also buildings surrounding the main house where a lot of the film post-production was done. The main house itself was breathtaking. It was done in the period of 1918 architecture, but was actually built in 1978/79.
"Apparently George wrote a whole story about the house. How their was a railroad tycoon back east who made a fortune, and then his whole family died , and then he moved to CA and built this house. He gave the story to the architects and said build me this house. The result was this humongous home. Humongous not just in outward size, but also inside the home as well. I thought I would find tons of rooms, but instead their are very few rooms on the ground floor, but each room is impressive in size and scope.
"We had lunch there in the dining room and it was delicious. They served chicken tacos w/ all the trimmings, Caesar salad, and 3 different kinds of dessert. And all the food was restaurant quality, more of a buffet than a cafeteria. After lunch we were given a walking tour of the ground floor. We saw his sitting room, which had a ton of memorabilia in it - Luke, Obi Wan's, Yoda's and Darth Vader's original light sabers; Indiana Jone's hat and whip from Raiders of the Lost Ark, also the idol from the beginning of the movie. There was also a framed picture of those old school British Police Officer comedy troupe. You know the one that was from the silent era. Not sure what the connection is there.
"He walked us into a room with a gigantic fireplace and hanging above it is an original Norman Rockwell painting. He then tells us that there is a 25 bedroom building on the ranch where people stay while working on films. Each suite is named after an artist and is decorated in original works by that artist. The last thing we saw was "The Library." Imagine a library the size of the back are of Gburg's library. You know, where it's circular and everyone sat and studied - with the huge domed ceiling. Now imagine it a little bigger than that section with books rising up to the ceiling and a private librarian sitting there. The walls are lined with books which detailed different time periods, and different fantasy/ folklore for movie research. Also, any book in print could be ordered through this library and be received within 48 hours.
"The ceiling was a beautiful stained glass dome. Lucas shipped in Italian glass workers. They built a glass workshop on site and then built the stained glass dome on site and installed it. Connected to the library was the green house. We walked in and immediately started to work up a sweat from the heat in there. The green house over looked a below ground section of the house which housed George's private film and sound editing rooms. Apparently the house was built with the concept of advancing technology, so underground all the latest in technology is at your fingertips. The whole house is also wired with fiber optic cable, but I didn't see anything that showed off the technology.
"It is hard to compare the ranch to anything else I've ever seen. Like a great movie set, you get this sense of the house being very old, when in reality it isn't. The scope of it could be put on the same level as Monticello or Mt Vernon. Regardless, it is an experience I won't soon forget.
-B"
Kingdom of Heaven is a Great Movie...
...for me to poop on!!! Actually I rather enjoyed the first hour and a half, especially the scenes with Qui-Gon hacking to death some French soldiers, but it just keeps going and going and eventually the cheese got to be too much. What's his face Legolas makes speech after speech while he's defending Jerusalem from the "kinder, gentler" Muslim army and I eventually had to give it the ol' Brent Martyn thumbs down in front of the screen. I love history of course and Medieval stuff so that aspect was cool...I never knew there was a "King of Jerusalem" throughout Christian rule of the city (at least that's what the movie shows) so I'll have to investigate it further.
Everyone knows how much I love chicken...Barbecue chicken, chicken parm, roasted chicken, teriyaki chicken, etc., but how disturbing is this image? I think I'll have steak tonight...
Yep that is sooooo wrong I hesitated even putting it on here.
Can't wait for this long weekend...some poker, some key beach time if all goes well and maybe another movie or two. Glenn sent over this book which I've been plowing through called Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole. Author won the Pulitzer for it posthumously since he killed himself at 32. Book is hilarious. Even though I'm only a hundred pages in I recommend you check it out.
Hopefully there'll be some good poker shots tonight I can post after the weekend. I really need to get a digital camera but Rex has one so I'll try it out tonight.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Star Wars News
Yep, saw Episode III, Revenge of the Sith, last weekend and it kicked ass. So glad Lucas didn't screw this one up. It was truly a pleasure to watch. In other news, some moron English dudes lit themselves on fire trying to recreate a light saber duel. Since they couldn't find any crystals to build the real thing, they took flourescent lights and filled them with gasoline. Check out the news story here: Morons
Also if you're ever wondering how a lightsaber actually works, you may want to check out this great website "How Stuff Works". It's got everything from computers to radios to cameras to, yes, lightsabers: http://www.howstuffworks.com/ and www.howstuffworks.com/lightsaber.htm/printable. Pretty cool stuff. But if only I could find those crystals!
Also if you're ever wondering how a lightsaber actually works, you may want to check out this great website "How Stuff Works". It's got everything from computers to radios to cameras to, yes, lightsabers: http://www.howstuffworks.com/ and www.howstuffworks.com/lightsaber.htm/printable. Pretty cool stuff. But if only I could find those crystals!
Friday, May 20, 2005
Lion Fights 42 Midgets
According to the BBC, 42 members of the Cambodian Midget Fighting League (CMFL) brawled with a lion last week at the city coliseum in the city of Kâmpóng Chhnãng, Cambodia.
The event was sold out and though the midgets were confident of their abilities, 28 of the participants were killed with another 14 seriously injured. This is a shocking blow to CMFL and the future of midget pugilism. I truly feel sorry for them but you live by the sword, you die by the sword, no matter what your size. Dumb midgets. It's a sick world we live in when these type of events are allowed to happen, though perhaps sicker is my desire to have witnessed the brutal carnage first hand. Yes I am sick but at least I admit it. The energy in that arena must have been intense! Final Score: Lion 42, Midgets 0. You can find the full story here: http://www.newturfers.com/mwf/attach/38/355838/BBCNEWSWorldLionMutilates42MidgetsinCambodianRing-Fight.htm.
The event was sold out and though the midgets were confident of their abilities, 28 of the participants were killed with another 14 seriously injured. This is a shocking blow to CMFL and the future of midget pugilism. I truly feel sorry for them but you live by the sword, you die by the sword, no matter what your size. Dumb midgets. It's a sick world we live in when these type of events are allowed to happen, though perhaps sicker is my desire to have witnessed the brutal carnage first hand. Yes I am sick but at least I admit it. The energy in that arena must have been intense! Final Score: Lion 42, Midgets 0. You can find the full story here: http://www.newturfers.com/mwf/attach/38/355838/BBCNEWSWorldLionMutilates42MidgetsinCambodianRing-Fight.htm.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Squirrel Hunting
Here's my interesting site of the day. Bored college students tie some peanuts to a string and go fishing for squirrels. Ah, life in Pennsylvania; I remember it well! Gettysburg had the fattest, meanist, sex crazed squirrels around, they'd make even the most well bred Cajun lick her chops. These little furry tailed rats are no exception. Check out this chick's website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/l/m/lmt170/squirrelfishing2.html.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Good Reads
Wow...picked up an old copy of C.S. Forester's first Hornblower book at the Adams Ave bookstore for $2. Didn't get around to start reading it until last week and I haven't been able to put it down since. Still working on Tim O'Brien's "Going After Cacciato", which itself is a good read but not as captivating like Forester. Great
storytelling through the months of his journeys at his present rank and since this is the first book of his I've picked up I'm assuming the subsequent novels will detail his ascention to higher ranks. I see on the inside flap the titles of the novels go all the way up to Admiral. Anyway the chapter usually begin with the dullness of sea life...long days of routine and loneliness...and then all Hell breaks loose. Battling the French, Spanish, pirates...all in good time. Quite enjoyable. And much easier to read then that damn Patrick O'Brian. Couldn't get into him at all and I remember down in Mexico even trying to listen to him on audiotape and he lost me...that's pretty bad. I always have a bad habit of tearing apart books I read too...splitting the binding, tossing it around in my bag and ripping the covers or pages, etc. And so this Forester is no exception. It's an earlier 70's edition (I love old books, I wonder what history they hold themselves) that looked like it had been sitting on a shelf for thirty years. So the pages are brittle and yellow and it ain't even lasting one good read. I'm almost done and so now I'm just carrying around pages 200+ in my bag and the rest are sitting in a pile at home. Poor thing...
storytelling through the months of his journeys at his present rank and since this is the first book of his I've picked up I'm assuming the subsequent novels will detail his ascention to higher ranks. I see on the inside flap the titles of the novels go all the way up to Admiral. Anyway the chapter usually begin with the dullness of sea life...long days of routine and loneliness...and then all Hell breaks loose. Battling the French, Spanish, pirates...all in good time. Quite enjoyable. And much easier to read then that damn Patrick O'Brian. Couldn't get into him at all and I remember down in Mexico even trying to listen to him on audiotape and he lost me...that's pretty bad. I always have a bad habit of tearing apart books I read too...splitting the binding, tossing it around in my bag and ripping the covers or pages, etc. And so this Forester is no exception. It's an earlier 70's edition (I love old books, I wonder what history they hold themselves) that looked like it had been sitting on a shelf for thirty years. So the pages are brittle and yellow and it ain't even lasting one good read. I'm almost done and so now I'm just carrying around pages 200+ in my bag and the rest are sitting in a pile at home. Poor thing...
Monday, May 09, 2005
Friday, May 06, 2005
So Frustrating...
...listening to the news and hearing the latest announcements of various groups across this great nation of ours banning songs or broadcasts or publications that are deemed by some in our society as obscene. What the hell's happened to our first amendment? Why is a high school in Michigan banning a middle school marching band from playing "Louie, Louie"? Why is the Texas legislature outlawing high school cheerleaders from dancing in a suggestive way? I mean, not a school board making that decision but actually the State! They're passing laws to protect us from some teen cheerleader's body grinding around in circles? Maybe they'd be more comfortable if women wore burkas! Why isn't America free anymore? I used to laugh at seeing newsclips or reading about the 50's and early 60's when books were being banned, or earlier when certain films were ruled obscene so the general public couldn't see them. What a crock of shit. Boy am I pissed at some of the people in this country!
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