They're putting me up at the Rio, where the show is, and for the second day running Penn and I sat in the Mexican Restaurant and had lunch and chatted about the project and everything else in the world as well, and then when the music of the Rio's free entertainment started getting a bit loud, we went down to the Monkey Room, which is the duo's eccentrically decorated Green Room and carried on talking about stuff, until it was time for Penn to change for the show. (He starts playing bass at 8:00pm, accompanying Mike Jones, who plays amazing jazz piano. You can read about it here, and don't tell anyone that I told you it was him.)
And now we know what we're doing on our Project We Don't Have Time For. And I think it's going to be really fun.
I may have to nip back to the UK soon though; there were some questions I needed to get answered anyway, for the novel, and now there are a bunch of things I need to know on the Penn Project for which the answers are probably at the Imperial War Museum.
Then I went back to my room, and got back onto the phone with Jude Prest, who wrote the scripts for my 13 Nights of Fright. We'd started doing the scripts in the morning, and were already half-done. I'd read each script aloud, and we'd go over them, and I'd suggest ways of saying things that were closer to the way I'd actually say something, and we'd chew over gag ideas and things, bouncing me back and forth between being me, being a character sort of like me, and being a manically alliterative Horror Host. Occasionally the answer to "why is it worded like that?" was because "that's the way the network wants it" but most of the time we could find the happy medium. Thirteen scripts. All done.
Then I went down to the overpriced Japanese restaurant and ate Sushi, and wrote my novel while eating, and did a couple of pages, finally getting to the Bird Lady, although she hasn't said anything yet. Then I came up here and wrote this.
I've heard that your "dream" project was to do a stint on a Hal Jordan Green Lantern series.
#1 Have your heard that Hal was returning?
#2 What attracts you to the character?
I'd not heard that one (the "dream project" bit that is). I do like Hal Jordan -- I wouldn't have written the Action Comics story published as "Legends of the Green Flame" if I didn't. And I was asked if I'd like to help bring the character back, but I really only have so much time.
Not a FAQ, just a well done.
I'm opening a shop this weekend, which obviously would have me considerably excited. This excitement was considerably overshadowed by the Neil/Penn collaboration. Secret schmecret give up the info I'm bouncing on my chair and can't wait! :)
Holly
Congratulations. And no, not yet. I bet if you ask Penn, after one of the shows, he'll tell you about it. Or possibly not yet either.
Just saw (thank you Bookslut) this wonderful interview with Madeleine L'Engle.