Showing posts with label Thomas Amo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thomas Amo. Show all posts

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Highly Illogical


Leonard Nimoy's passing reminded us all the indelible mark STAR TREK has made on the world. The message of hope and compassion in Gene Roddenberry's creation has contributed to its legacy, especially when delivered by Nimoy as the iconic character of Mr. Spock. This Vulcan entered the immortal realm of modern folklore, a tribute to the actor who portrayed him, a man who conducted his own life with both style and grace.

For me, the death of Leonard Nimoy presented a separate issue.

I have been immersed in penning another murder mystery script, not unlike last year's THE PERILS OF FRANCOIS, which debuted last summer for the Mel O'Drama Theater company in Nashville. This time around, unlike FRANCOIS' pre-fabricated concept, I started from scratch with an idea I've been kicking around for a couple of years. The setting is a comic book convention that features a salute to a parody of STAR TREK. The basic premise is that the William Shatner character is the murder victim.

One of the prime suspects was inspired by Leonard Nimoy and most certainly Mr. Spock. Since the cast size is extremely limited due to a stipulation with the producer, this character was the most likely choice for inclusion besides Capt. Kirk. The difference between my guy and the real deal was that my take on Spock/Nimoy is that he's basically a dick. I envisioned him to a jealous, spiteful sonuvabitch who would like nothing more than put Shatner/Kirk down for the count. In fact, I had been struggling with the ending when I settled on Spocknoy himself.

I had a deadline to meet. This script was originally set for last week, but since it had been postponed, I stuck it on the back burner for far too long. Ramping up again, I tried to complete it back year's end without success. And I had been put in the rareified position of having my show accepted sight unseen, so I had more than an obligation to finish it. I had an actual commitment with a director attached. So, I pushed it back to the end of February, one year to the day that I delivered FRANCOIS.

But as I raced toward the finish line, the first reports came over the wire about Nimoy being admitted to the hospital with chest pains. It didn't look good for him, especially with his previous history and his age of 83. I persevered on the script anyway, not out of insensitivity but more out of inevitability. Regardless of the outcome, I had to wrap this up in a timely matter.

Within a few pages away from the Big Reveal when the designated killer turned out to be.... Leonard Nimoy passed away. The world mourned. I had a sudden burst of conscience. Or rather, my half-conscious conscience woke up and smelled the Romulan ale. I stopped what I was doing and took a much-needed breath.

Selfishly, I thought about how this would affect me and more immediately, my script. I still had to complete my project, but now the possibility of Nimoy's imminent demise became a stark reality. Can I really go ahead and make fun of a beloved and recently deceased figure, even if it had no basis in truth?

Death has a way of spoiling the party. Tragedy plus time equals comedy, as the theoretical math equation states, but how much time? Do the wounds ever heal and if so, what about the scars they carry? 9/11 put the kibosh on everything for years and fourteen years hence, still gives us pause at its very mention in less than reverential terms, prompting the outcry of "Too soon!"

My friend Tom Amo, author of MIDNIGHT NEVER ENDS and FOREVER ME, recalled when he used to write and direct British farces at his theater in Stockton, California:

I started to  worry. Every time I wrote a celebrity reference in one of my plays, they died! Tammy Wynette in BOB'S YOUR AUNTIE....Ann Landers on opening night of BABY I'M YOURS...The other one really hit home was when we were doing RUN FOR YOUR WIFE at Smiler's (Comedy Playhouse), Princess Diana was killed. We had a matinee the following Sunday. It didn't hit us until we had a scene where the paparazzi breaks into the flat to get the photos...and suddenly there was silence from the audience....and you go, "Holy crap...this isn't funny right now. Yeow."

So I ended up rewriting the ending. Spocknoy was no longer the killer. It turned out to be the right thing to do. Was it out of respect? I suppose it was initially, but creatively it actually made more sense. It made everything flow together to a more satisfactory conclusion. He's still an insufferable bastard for the most part, but I gave him touch of redemption by show's end. And I met my deadline (no pun intended).

In all fairness, I can only admit to being a fleeting original cast STAR TREK fan ( actually more of a NEXT GEN-ner). However, I believe that Nimoy's lofty place in geek history is well-deserved. I leave the platitudes to those who could do so more honestly and definitely more eloquently than the poseur who's typing these words. I will attest that his passing and the love that poured out from his many admirers moved me enough to want to want something that he actually inspired in me that much better. And in the end, Leonard Nimoy will be remembered long after my silly little parody has come and gone and that's how it should be.

As Paul McCartney once sang:
Ob-la-di Ob-la-da
And don't forget to prosper.  

UPDATE 5/8/20: The show entitled STAR TRUCK: THE WRATH OF COMIC-CON  went on as scheduled later that year. It has since been re-named MURDER: THE FINAL FRONTIER, been produced across the country and published by OFF THE WALL PLAYS. Performance rights are available.

It's only logical.




Sunday, March 30, 2014

Thomas Amo on: Midnight Never Ends

I'm turning over the reins of this here blog to my good friend Thomas Amo on the eve of the
publication of his latest tome, a horror anthology entitled MIDNIGHT NEVER ENDS. Tom is also the author of the thriller AN APPLE FOR ZOE, the YA smash FOREVER ME and numerous plays including LET'S GET LADE! and BOB'S YOUR AUNTIE. He's also the host and operator of the internet radio station Radio Rock 92.6 The Bltiz which can be heard on Spreaker.com. The Blitz is a Indie music station with a mix of talk that focuses on the arts and entertainment industry with a special interest in Indie Film, Music and Authors.
RADIO ROCK 92.6 THE BLITZ  
But enough already about radio! Let's talk horror! Take it away, Mr. Amo.



It was a dark and stormy night.

Doesn’t it seem that most ghost stories, horror novels or anything to do with stuff that goes bump in the night, all begin with that classic first line? Well, for this author, it doesn’t have to be dark or stormy, to find myself immersed into the dark, paranormal corners of my mind. And with that said, we can begin our tour. 
Unless you’re television generation, (ages 45 - 60) give or take, a great deal of references made in today’s blog may go over your head. However, don’t feel excluded. Quite often many people come to appreciate things that were created long before they were residents on this planet. So, you’re in luck. Who knows, perhaps you may find something new here today and add them to your list of likes?
It was 1969, yours truly was six-years-old, and hooked on all things spooky and scary. Especially, horror films and television shows. I know, six-years-old and already a creepy kid. I loved the classic black & white Universal horror films from the 1930s and 40s. My heroes were Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney Jr. How many kids that age could not only tell you who the stars were, but also knew the director’s names too? Add to that list, film composers and the makeup men as well. (Jack Pierce, incidentally.)
During this golden era of the “boob tube” a new series came in the form of a movie of the week. Rod Serling had returned to television and this time it wasn’t going to be the science fiction morality tales of The Twilight Zone. This was a place where horror, the strange, and bizarre would have a permanent home. This residence would be known as the Night Gallery.
From 1970 to 1973, every chance I got, I would sneak the channel to NBC to watch the popular anthology series. Being that it was on at 10pm it wasn’t always easy. Inevitably Night Gallery is always compared to Twilight Zone. And while there is no question that production value on TZ was exceedingly bountiful compared to NG. I still preferred to spend my time at the Gallery. I was too young to remember The TZ, as its original run was from 1959-1964. Later on, when I did begin to watch TZ, I simply thought of it as clever and creepy. But NG was chilling and properly scary. Naturally, as the years go by and you return to watch a show that terrified you as a child, you find it’s mediocre at best. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE the show and there are a handful of episodes that are gems. But for the most part, it’s pretty campy.
Nonetheless, Rod Serling remained a constant inspiration to me as a young would-be author. He was the Stephen King of his day, and there was no denying, he was truly a gifted writer. Noted as the only television writer to win seven Emmy Awards.
So, flash-forward to 2014, it’s a dark and stormy night, and this author cannot sleep. So instead of tossing and turning for the next hour, a trip downstairs, a cup of coffee and late night television is my prescription for this night of declined slumber. And what do I settle on to watch? You guessed it kiddies; Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. I can’t tell you which episode it was I watched, but it was on long enough to wake up my muse and get her back to work. As I reflected on the show, it not only took me back to a time, fondly remembered, but served to inspire me to pay homage to the creative forces that gave my imagination more material than it knew what to do with. I had never entertained the idea of writing a collection of short stories. The closest I had ever come to that, was writing episodic scripts for independent television.
Did I dare pay tribute to Rod Serling? Wouldn’t his fans hate that? Who was I to do such a thing? But wait, I’m a fan. While doing my research I watched every interview or documentary I could find on him. I learned that he would be the first one to encourage creative minds to create. He loved to debate, and getting people to engage in conversations about issues was important to him, topical, political, or otherwise. So, with that essential permission, I decided, I would write a book that would be my very own tribute to a show that had a tremendous, creative impact on my future artistic life. And also, more importantly to a man, I wished I could have met. If for no other reason than to simply to say, thank you.
Okay, now on to the show. “Midnight Never Ends” is an adult horror anthology of four tales, ranging from the subjects of death, to the consequences of black magic, and the occult. Each story, like in the Night Gallery itself is presented with its very own canvas, complete, with a Serling type narration to segue the reader into the story. I felt if I was going to attempt a tribute at this show and the man; then the artwork was going to be as essential as the stories themselves. Four original paintings by artist, Jeannifer Marciella Soeganda, provide rich details that capture the true essence and flavor of Night Gallery artist, Tom Wright.
Prepare yourself to return to a time, where a man in a black suit, resonate voice and a macabre smile, takes you on a tour where the paintings are tilted left of center. A place where, “Midnight Never Ends. 

NOW ON SALE on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 
 
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Thanks, mate! As for the rest of you, go out and buy this bleedin' book. That's an order! It's real scary, kids...it'll put goosebumps on your goosebumps! Remember the name...
MIDNIGHT NEVER ENDS by THOMAS AMO

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Vanity, Thy Name is Cherney


I'm so vain...
I prob'ly think this blog is about me...

A brand new interview with the guy whose name is above the title of this here blog has been posted on the Awesome Gang website.Please go forth and check this out.

INTERVIEW W/SCOTT CHERNEY

Awesome Gang is a great little promotional site for authors. Their services range from free to inexpensive. Those of you with books you want to shill but have tight budgets will want to give them a look-see.

AWESOME GANG WEBSITE

I just found another interview from a  few years ago that I did with my friend Thomas Amo, author of FOREVER ME, AN APPLE FOR ZOE and the forthcoming horror anthology MIDNIGHT NEVER ENDS, this from Blogtalk Radio.

INTERVIEW W/THOMAS AMO ON BLOGTALK

After that, I had a lovely chat with the cutie pie known as Ashton the Book Blogger.

INTERVIEW W/ASHTON THE BOOK BLOGGER

I've also got a page on AuthorsDen where I have a couple of choice items including a short story and a long essay.

SCOTT CHERNEY ON AUTHORSDEN

I'm also on Goodreads where a chapter from all of my books are waiting for you.

SCOTT CHERNEY ON GOODREADS

Finally there's the matter of that website o' mine.

WRITTEN BY SCOTT CHERNEY-THE WEBSITE

And that's the name of that tune.