I provided the voice-over and also appear in this mock commercial written and directed by fellow Magic Meathands performer Shane Boroomand.
Also featured are Kevin Callahan, Nikki Turner, and Mary Benedict.
I recorded most of the voice-over in one take with memories of all of those awful “as seen on TV” ads that seemed to infest daytime and late late night. I don’t know, maybe they still do.
Anyway, this is the first of a new series of sketch comedy videos that the Magic Meathands have produced and are producing. I hope you enjoy! We’ve had a blast making them! To make sure you don’t miss any of them, subscribe to either my YouTube page (for ones with me) or the Magic Meathands YouTube page.
Don’t forget: The Magic Meathands are performing at the Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica this Friday!
Depending on how today’s elections go, you might need to soothe the pain of loss. Or to celebrate the victories. Laughter is kind of a multi-purpose cure-all.
This Friday, I’m performing with the improv comedy group the Magic Meathands at the Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica! Following us will be the very funny Waterbrains and the theater’s own Mission IMPROVable. You can get in to see all 3 groups for just $10.
Click on the Hand o’ Meat for the Facebook event listing!
Time: Friday, November 5, 8:00pm – 11:00pm
Location: Westside Comedy Theater, 1323-A 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, 90401
Price: $10.00
Smart comics publishers and creators are (finally!) aggressively pursuing digital platforms for their comics. Right now it’s mostly as another form of distribution – you can get your comic books and graphic novels at specialty comic shops, book stores, libraries, oh yeah and also on your iPhone or iPad and online. There’s still quite a lot of toe-dipping but that will change the more it’s acknowledged digital comics are the only growing sector of comic sales right now. *
It’s great to have a digital replica of print, but there’s also a lot of room for experimentation to create a new experience. Some are already starting to surface.
Graphic.ly started with a focus on recreating the comic shop community atmosphere by allowing users to comment on specific comic pages and panels within their digital comics reader. That’s an interesting start, but what has me excited is seeing a couple of new apps launch with very creative uses for integrating digital aspects into a story without losing the sequential art part of comics (the reason I think motion comics aren’t working).
Ave! Comics has released a digital version of the biography graphic novel Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness by Reinhard Kleist, originally published to decent acclaim last year by Abrams ComicArts. It does what has become the standard panel-to-panel “guided reading” animation thing on your iPad or iPhone, but it adds a soundtrack to the reading experience. Tracks from Johnny Cash’s stellar catalog, including the legendary At Folsom Prison, come in and out of the story as you arrive on certain pages. The trick is that the app searches for specified songs in your iTunes library. If you don’t have them, you can buy them for 99 cents through iTunes or just read without them. So there’s the potential for hidden costs (unless you happen to have a very extensive collection of Cash songs on your iPad or iPhone, which I suppose isn’t entirely out of the question if you’re buying a biography of Johnny Cash). Despite that, it’s still a very cool idea. On the iPhone, it’s broken up to 3 separate apps for $1.99 each but the iPad’s HD version is one $4.99 app for the entire story. The soundtrack-less print edition is $17.95. Here’s Ave! Comics’ demo video (don’t be scared by the French iPhone used in the video):
Me in costume for last weekend’s Drama After Dark at The Huntington. It was a lot of fun and I hope to do it next year. Picture taken by fellow Gorey actor Etta Devine who was a fantastic addition to a very fun group.
As before, I will appear as multiple characters inspired by various works by fellow New Englander Edward Gorey. We’ll be bringing to life three delightfully dark stories of his: The Dwindling Party, The Fatal Lozenge and The Listing Attic.
You’ll also be able to enjoy stories by Edgar Allen Poe while walking around the beautiful grounds of The Huntington Gardens. It’s a great way to kick off Halloween! Hopefully you’ve gotten your tickets because I’m told it’s already sold out! How cool!
Seattle Weekly has posted a quick review of Dig Comics in anticipation of its screening at the 40th Bumbershoot festival. Brian Miller writes:
Here in Seattle, home of Fantagraphics, we really don’t need to be sold on the medium, but Cima’s geeky enthusiasm is impossible to dislike.
The 20-minute short Dig Comics, which I helped produce, will be screening as part of Bumbershoot’s 1 Reel Film Festival programming Portrait of an Artist, which pairs us with the short film The Creation of Torrit Smoke. The screening starts at 12 noon on Monday, September 6, at the Seattle Center. Check out Bumbershoot.org for more details and tickets.
This Friday August 27th, I am one of the featured players for a show with the the Magic Meathands! This is improv comedy, so please bring your laughers.
There will be a student showcase of some of the Meathands In the Making to open for us and then we’ll hit the stage. Hope to see you there!
Show starts at 8 PM. Tickets are $5. Location: The Spot Cafe and Lounge, 4455 Overland Cafe, Culver City
There’s a quick interview with Dig Comics assistant director Chris Brandt. Chris joined our team over the last several months and brings a lot to the table: namely, an eagle tattoo on the back of his head. Oh yeah, and he also directed the excellent documentary Independents. Get to know Chris at the FlashINK blog.
Dig Comics had a great shoot at Comic-Con! We got tons of interviews and some really amazing moments. We’re now busy scheduling additional shooting here in Los Angeles.
Also, the current form of Dig Comics, the award-winning 20-minute short film, will be screening at yet another festival! This time we’ll be at the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival. We don’t have an exact date and time yet but the festival takes place September 17-19. Stay tuned for more details.
This Friday the famous Santa Monica Place mall reopens after 2 years of reconstruction. Located across the street from the more famous Third Street Promenade and two blocks from the even more famouser Santa Monica Pier, it’s new open air design is expected to bring quite a crowd. The pre-reconstructed mall has been seen in the TV show Beverly Hills 90210, and movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Pretty In Pink and Terminator 2.
Coincidentally, the Magic Meathands and I just happen to be performing the very same night as the grand (re-)opening at the Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica! We hit the stage at 8 PM. Right after our show is The Waterbrains and then Westside Comedy Theater’s own Mission IMPROVable. Three full hours of improvised comedy for just $10! The theater is located in the alley between Third Street and Fourth Street, behind the food court off the Promenade.
It’s sure to be a lively night! Come on out!
WHEN: Friday, August 6, 8 PM
WHERE: Westside Comedy Theater, 1323-A Third Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401
WHAT: Live improv comedy
HOW MUCH: $10
Corey Blake 