I've just finished reading "Ray Bradbury:
The October Man" by Larry Leonard. Short and sweet. Great read.

Mulder's referred site: Another good one!
http://www.oregonmag.com/Bradbury1001.htm

Here's a site from NPR that maybe you'll have better luck opening than I:
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1603585

Also, has anyone ever read Einstein's Dreams? It's one of my favourites.

If any one has the privilege to converse with RB in the coming weeks (Nard, Dandelion, Sam, etc.), might you inquire about the status of film projects we have all so patiently awaited news on? Ie., what's really up with F451? Is Thunder going to make it to the theaters this summer? Any irons in the fires on Illustrated Man or Chronicles?

I know we have debated the pros and cons on some of these for years now, suggested who should play main characters and produce the projects, but to get a "heads up" on where things might be going would be interesting, if not appeasing. Searches on line seem to turn up the same old reviews listed two to three years ago.

Just a thought! Also, any release date on Cat's Pajamas?


[This message has been edited by fjpalumbo (edited 04-01-2004).]

fjpalumbo:

Sam Weller sees Ray most often. I won't be around Los Angeles until May sometime, unless something happens to get me there sooner. E-mail Sam Weller ...probably the best chance for the answers...

Hello All,

Ray B had a lunchen meeting with the producer and director of the Sound of Thunder. To set up dates for promo, etc. which at this point will be coming to the big screen, in October.

Frank Darabont. turned in a screenplay to Mr B last week, for FH451. I've read it and its right on. The Hounds are back and ready to go.
Clarisse is younger, and some other great great true to book events. Next step is Mel himself. Let hope and Pray.

Sorry for the name dropping, But

I was with Sly Stallone, "My Day Job--Limo Driver" over the weekend, and call Mr B and told him, I found Captain Beatty, and handed Sly the phone. They had a great talk.

I have a great picture of Ray B and Frank D holding Franks just finished FH451 Screenplay, that I would like to share with everyone.
Nard or Mr Dark If I sent it to one of you, could you please post it.

Later All
Patrick

Patrick:

Would love to assist. If you email, send me an email and we can hook up live.

epalfreyman@prodigy.net

Patrick:

If you don't mind me posting it on my website. I could do that. No problem...
Send me a disk, or a photo, or ???
My e-mail is: b.kordell@comcast.net

Nard: I just emailed them to you and Dandelion. My system will let me open and view them, but it won't let me save them for some reason. Mine stay embedded in the email.

I'm hoping you or Dandelion can get them out and post them for Patrick.

If that e-mail bounced back it's because my inbox is still full. I did, finally, (with the help of computer experts) get my printer connected, but have been too busy enjoying spring to empty that inbox!

In high school I loved Sly Stallone so much I had a whole wall devoted to him! (In fact, we painted the room to match the poster of him in the green t-shirt.) I find him attractive, intelligent, and articulate--which is exactly why I lost patience with him in terms of his writing and acting projects. He could do so much better, and it isn't as if he needed the money so bad he couldn't take creative chances after a certain point. He reminds me of Rod Serling in that way--for fifteen years Serling railed against commercialism, saying entertainment should be thought-provoking and so on--then at a certain point started taking on projects far below him, including commercials--total sellout. The whole point of "Rocky" is NOT to be a sellout, yet, with the projects Sly talked about doing and those he ended up actually doing, I couldn't help wondering if that's what he did as well. I believe anyone with that much talent and ability should still be able to redeem themselves--I'd hate to see him just sort of burn out like Serling when he could still do so much better. (By the way, if you want Ray's viewpoint on being a sellout, the short story "A Flight of Ravens" from "The Machineries of Joy" drives it home more dramatically than many a full-length book could do!)

Seeing Sly in something of Ray's might just make me renew my fandom! (I still have all my Sly stuff, except a few things ruined in a flood--it's just put away.) I did read his first novel as well as two "Rocky" books. It's great that he and Ray hit it off well. Did you know they are both great admirers of Edgar Allan Poe?

dandelion,

maybe your characterisation of Stallone makes him an ideal match for Beatty, who also starts out as a literate intellectual but rejects it all to follow the will of the masses.

I'm not a great fan of Stallone, but he wouldn't be such a bad choice. However, if you cast a physically strong and imposing Beatty, you must have a comparably strong Montag for the story to be believable. Given that we are probably talking Hollywood blockbuster here, Montag then probably has to be Tom Hanks or Mel Gibson.

- Phil

Much as I love Tom Hanks and Mel Gibson, I think Kyle Chandler would be better, not only by virtue of being slightly younger, but if Stallone were cast as Beatty, Chandler looks enough like him it would be like Beatty was an older version of Montag, saying to Montag, this is what you could become if you don't break out NOW! With the proper writing and direction, it could be a very powerful film statement.

I'm diving in and out of these postings, so I catch this little comment by dandelion about Mel Gibson and Montag... ((if I am not following the line of reasoning in these posts, please excuse my intrusion))..from what I understand, Mel Gibson figured a long while ago that he was too old to play Montag...and was one of the main reasons he bowed out of the project as to being involved in the acting part of it...

��Okay, now back to the regularly scheduled programming...

As regular as it gets around here...speaking of Stallone, he was on the "Tonight" show talking about his new project, a reality show based around the world of boxing. Rod Serling was also a boxer (in the lightest weight class, of course) and was fascinated with boxing and broken-down prizefighters. Ray: not a boxer.

Speaking of the general subject of sellouts, I was reading "Anne of the Island" by L. M. Montgomery and look at the passage I came across today (Friday, that is; it's always "today" until I retire in the small hours), in which Anne is talking to her best friend Diana about a short story she is writing.
_____________________
"How much do you suppose you'll get for it?" asked Diana.

But Anne had not thought about this at all. She was in pursuit of fame, not filthy lucre, and her literary dreams were as yet untainted by mercenary considerations.
_____________________
Of course, keep in mind this is Anne's first effort for publication they're talking about here. There was also a long debate about who was to see and criticize it before submission, and who was absolutely not to see it until after publication. Hmmm, reminded me of a certain little conversation I had recently!