One of the cool things about Dragon*Con is getting to see some of the creators and actors you've loved in person. So my question for you is:
If you could have one hour of live, in person, one-on-one time to talk with any real-life, currently alive person from the world of geekery, with whom would you choose to conversate, and what would you ask them?
As for me, I'd choose Joss Whedon, as someone who has excelled at producing geeky content from multiple genres (supernatural, super-heroes, horror) in multiple media (television, musicals, movies, the web) and who just seems like a nifty guy. Among other standard questions ("What was it like directing Sarah Michelle Geller!?"), I'd ask him what commonalities he sees between super-heroes powers and stories, and more standard fictional entertainment. And if he's surprised that out of all the people he's "made big", that David Boreanz would be the one to ultimately star in another big hit.
In return for playing along, you can (if you want, no obligation) ask me a question about whatever you like and I'll answer truthfully.
Does Jon Stewart Count as being “from the world of geekery?” I’ve long considered him to be someone whom I’d like to meet and hang out with, assuming I didn’t bore him or anything. As for questions, I’d probably just ask him if he’d like to play some games, like maybe DnD or something. You know, just hang out.
Assuming Jon Stewart doesn’t count as being nerdy enough for the purposes of this question, I also was thinking I could perhaps meet Shigesato Itoi, and ask him what happens to Giygas after Earthbound/Mother 2. I’ve always wondered about that.
Ah, crap! I had a question I’ve wanted to ask for a while now, and now I can’t think of it! Ah well… Hopefully I’ll remember it by the end of the day.
If B-movies fall into geekery, I’d like to talk to the last living master of drive-in crappolla: Roger Corman. He’s about 900 by now and no longer the sharpest tool in the shed, but I’d love to pick his brain about the making of bogus flicks for AIP where they would show him the poster they’d already sent to the distributor and ask him to make a film to match within two weeks!
I’d ask Lloyd Kaufman, “Will Troma produce a new line of action figures before the world implodes?”
(What? The Toxic Avenger totally counts as a superhero.)
Peter Jackson, no question. I’m a huge LOTR fan. And I’d probably ask him a load of spoiler-questions about the upcoming Hobbit film. 😉
Hmm…question for Jeff…
Where can we find the other editions of HeroMachine? Someone on the forums was asking about the Pin-up edition, and I know there’s others as well. Are you going to put them on this site?
id prolly like to meet whedon too. since you already said that id like to meet michael fassbender (stelios, magneto) mainly cuz people say i look like him so i wanna ask him if wants to hire me to be his stunt double. or hugh jackman. just so i can scream like a little girl at wolverine. ive met george romero, bill murray, quentin tarantino, josh harnett (what a dick), stephen root (but… thats my stapler), mike judge, deidrich bader, elijah wood
@barbario:
You met Elijah Wood? :O
yeah many many times. i used to work at the alamo drafhouse and hes a regular attendee at fantastic fest. last year he boxed dominic monahagn at my gym. the year before the owner tim leagues boxed michelle rodriguez
Joss Whedon would be my guy too (followed by Peter Jackson and George R. R. Martin). I would probably talk about Firefly (with little more than half a season he managed to make it my favorite scifi series of all time), Avengers, and gush about the awesomeness of Buffy. My silly fanboy question would be “Which of your characters would you most like to be?” and my annoying fanboy rant would be “I wish you wouldn’t have gone so big with the conclusion of the Season 8 storyline. It was too out there for me to swallow.”
So, Jeff, which Joss Whedon-created character would you most like to be if you had to live in their world? Personally I would lean towards Captain Reynolds.
I’d meet Neil Gaiman, and first I’d tell him, “Every time I check a book in or out that has George R.R. Martin’s ENORMOUS name on the cover, I mentally append, in your voice, ‘is not your bitch.’ So thanks for that.”
(http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/05/entitlement-issues.html if you don’t know what I’m talking about here.)
What would I ask him? I don’t know. Asking him if I can be him when I grow up, which is what I really want to do, seems a bit creepy, even in the context that I’m hypothetically talking to Neil Gaiman. I guess I’d ask how his week’s going. I have faith the answer could fill the whole hour.
David Tennat, the best Doctor (Who) of this generation!
Someone with a distinctive voice… like William Shatner or Patrick Stewart, using an overly dramitized version of their character voices (captain Kirk or captain Picard).
No questions, just reading a book out loud. Either something serious like The Great Gatsby, or ridiculous like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
I would be allowed to record the whole thing.
Whedon would be an excellent choice, and if I had to choose one, it might be him. The circles he’s moved between–I’d want to talk to him about that. How do you get people to stay with a project long enough. How do you get A-listers interested?
The big one would be could I convince him to do some Terry Pratchett projects? They haven’t taken off as well.
Jeff: In a peculiar world event where it was, for three months, illegal to make / produce superhero-related art, what would you make as a focus? I reason you still would likely have one. I’ve usually switched media completely when I couldn’t do what I wanted.
I know it’s a pretty obvious one, but Stan Lee has got to be my choice for who I’d like to meet, but I have no idea what I’d ask him. I’d probably be too star-struck. But I’d love to ask Frank Millar for writing tips, especially as he wrote Year One and The Dark Knight Rises.
I was actually going to say Tom Baker. Bruce Campbell would be fun to interview.
Claudia Black. I would ask about what she loves and hates about Farscape as an actress working on the set and the show itself. Or ask her to read the McDonald’s menu aloud just to listen to her swoony accent. “Strawberry shakes.”
What’s the best thing for a hangover? (Other than drinking heavily the night before.)
I’d either talk to Jim Lee or Geoff Johns. Jim Lee’s the reason I’m a comic fan and Johns is currently my favorite comic writer.
Assuming there was no language barrier, I’d either go for Hironobu Sakaguchi or Chuck Norris. Yes, Chuck Norris DOES count as geekery. A different strain maybe, but he counts. (in my opinion, at least).
If I were to interview Sakaguchi-san, I’d want to talk about the stories and movies which inspired him to get into video games. I would ask Chuck Norris what it was like being the deadliest man alive… o_O
Jeff, assuming that you would be wildly successful regardless of your choice, which medium would you choose to work in on a large scale – books or film?
Without a doubt, Kevin Smith. I would probably ask him to adopt me first then every other personal or non-personal question iv’e been storing up since I became familiar with him and his work. Like, is Jason Mewes always in character or is that just his real personality?
My question for Jeff: When and how did you get into comics?
Jeff: If you could pick one character or team from comics to put in a (semi-believable) live-action show based on them, who would it be and why?
For me it’d be Terry Pratchett and/or Neil Gaiman, and while there’s sooo much I’d like to ask about the writing and publishing processes, truthfully the whole conversation would be about “Good Omens”. Yeah.
I actually want to say Rob Liefeld. Not so that I can just rip on him, that’s unimaginative, and also not an interview. But I would honestly like to know what goes through his head when he gets into these battles with his editors, if he knows why he’s so reviled by a large segment of the comic book community, and if and why he thinks it’s okay to put forth less-than adequate effort into many of his drawings. Mostly to see if he’s really as egomaniacal as everyone thinks/says he is.
Either that or Lauren Faust. She’s got an unusually successful track record on developing children’s cartoons, and, I’ll come right out and admit it, I really like the new run of My Little Pony. And since Lauren Faust doesn’t do many interviews, it could be pretty eye-opening.
Yeah, soooo… Jeff, how’s your fantasy football season shaping up? Or is it? I just finished my second league draft (of 2) last night. The first team is probably going to struggle a bit, but the one I drafted yesterday has a decent shot.
Ed Greenwood, of the Forgotten Realms fame. I absolutely love that setting. I could spend days listening to that man tell stories. As for a question, who’s your favorite new author? Not necessarily new, I guess, but new to you in the last couple years instead of an old favorite? My most recent that I intend to keep up with is Benedict Jacka.
That’s a good question and I don’t have an answer. My understanding is that those were standalone projects done for UGO clients and as such, I don’t think I have the right to post them. But, I have an inquiry in to those guys, so we’ll see.
I’ve only really seen Dr. Horrible, Buffy, Angel, and now the Avengers movie. So I don’t have the complete body of work from which to choose. But given what I *have* been through, I’d probably go with Tony Stark. Rich, good looking, rich, and with one of the most awesome pieces of technology in history to cruise around in. Awesome!
The Buffy and Angel universes are too dangerous for normal people for me to want to live there.
Wait, you said “Whedon created”, so Tony wouldn’t count. Darn.
Given that, I’d go with “The Host” from Angel, the karaoke bar owning demon. He seems fun.
Hm, I’d probably switch to writing, I think. I’ve been feeling that itch the last couple of months, maybe finish the fantasy novel I started decades ago.
My dad would say, “Just don’t stop drinking and you’ll never be hung over.” Of course, he was an alcoholic, so …
As for me, I honestly have no idea, as I don’t think I’ve ever gotten drunk enough to be hung over the next day. I’m so square!
I’m an introvert, and since movies are a very collaborative process involving hundreds of people even before you get to public appearances, I’d go with books. You can still be huge, but if you want to live somewhat anonymously you can.
Plus, the thing I love about HeroMachine is that it lets people bring their imaginations to life in their own way. Books do the same thing — they give you a canvas and you can project the look of it into your own mind. Movies are more coercive than that, they force you to see the world through the director’s eyes instead of your own. Which is totally cool too, but not really my thing.
When I was still very young — like six or seven — my dad would bring home stacks of comics for us every few months. Super-hero stuff for the boys, “Caspar” and “Wendy the Witch” and “Richie Rich” for the girls (although we all read them all). I had a little bit of a rough upbringing (nothing too traumatic, but rough for an overly sensitive kid like me), so escapism was key to getting through it. Comics, with their unique blend of visual and textual storytelling, were the best possible vehicle for that.
A show as in a TV series? I’d probably go with George Perez-era Teen Titans. It’s got a good hook with lots of characters at an age where you have a ton of juicy story lines. You’ve got some supernatural stuff with Raven, sci-fi with Starfire, martial arts with Robin, and teen angst to spice it all up.
The draft is not the key to a winning season, it’s what you do in terms of picking up talent as the season progresses! Seriously, given the huge number of injuries and just plain flukey results, half the guys you think are a stone cold lock on draft day will be huge busts by the end. Especially at running back — typically half the guys at the end of the year on the Top Twenty list were undrafted at the beginning of the year. Haunt the waiver wire, stash guys you think are good and just need an opportunity, and don’t be afraid to pick up the hot hand just in case they pay off.
Having said that, I am in two leagues this year but we don’t draft till Monday night. When I will be in the air coming back from Dragon*Con. Feh. So for at least one of those, I’ll be autodrafting. I did some mock drafts to see how the list works, and the answer is it sucks. You are forced to take a kicker and a DEF before you can start filling your bench, which is SO frustrating — I never draft those till my last two picks.
So I don’t know yet how the draft looks, but I’m sad that for the first time ever, I won’t live-draft them. That’s got me worried, despite my pep talk at the beginning!
My teams are the “Gotham Dark Knights” and the “Darth Maulers”.
Hm, my “recent” trifecta would probably be Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks, and Patrick Rothfuss. If I had to pick just one of those, I’d go with Sanderson, who’s done some really awesome, wildly different work in a ton of different books. I haven’t read his Wheel of Time extensions because I dumped the series four books ago, but his other work is exceptionally creative and fun.
With that recommendation, I just bought “Fated” for my Kindle app. Thanks Bael!
Personally, I’m thinking of Nightwing. Not the TDKR version, but Dick Grayson, the actual Nightwing. Either suit is fine, but I think they should stay in line with the current design. I’ve grown to like it over the last year.
@ jeff. i loved The Host. Lorne was incredible.
Hey jeff… have you read ready player one? has anyone? you should.
As someone who’s led a life less responsible than Jeff’s, allow me to horn in here and recommend drinking a lot of water heavily while you’re hitting the sauce. (Stay in school, kids.) Alcohol dehydrates, and that pain you feel in the morning is your dried up shrinking brain (I am not a role model) pulling away from your skull. Hydrate! What always works for me is chicken noodle soup and extra-strength Tylenol, but consult your doctor to see what painkillers are contraindicated. And always drink responsibly (Do as I say, not as I do).
Whoa. You’ve met Stephen Root? Seriously, I love that guy. Jimmy James from NewsRadio; the Office Space stapler guy (Myron?); the blind DJ from O Brother Where Art Thou; King of the Hill VO’s; everything else he’s done–it’s all gold. Please thank him for me. One of the finest character actors of all time. Nothing against those other guys, of course.
If Chuck Norris wants to count, he counts.
If you get a chance, let me know what you think. I would like a bigger sample size. I like Sanderson too. I haven’t read any of his Wheel Of Time yet, because I started stockpiling them till the series is done. I hate that kind of wait time.
I’m already on book three, and I love them! Very Dresden Files-ish, but the twist of his seer magic is a great one. Thanks so much for the recommendation!
Glad to help. And now I’m jealous. I don’t have the third yet. Off to Amazon…