What a weekend

Killed it Friday.

Owned it Saturday.

Felt at home Sunday.

I love my crews.

Elmwood and Paris.

Nuff said for now.

That went well!

Wow.  Wow...

So the screening went over great...  

A huge chunk of cast, crew, and more came out to see the preview.  

And they laughed.

And then we drank.  

Ok, I'll admit, we drank even before the show!  

Then  we really drank!

Here's Jim, Russ, and I after we got it all set up...

Here's Jordan, Sean, and I just before people started coming in...

Here's Brie (I love this picture)...  She's the best.  She made a peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake to celebrate my birthday and brought it to the show!

I'll be posting more pictures on Elmwood's Facebook by Monday

Josh and Todd...

Todd and Josh

Tonite's a big deal.

Yes, tomorrow is the big premiere of the movie for the public to see...  And you better come see it!

But tonite.

Tonite...

We screen the film for the cast and crew.  It'll be the first time we all see the film together. 

Eric, Jim, Russ, and I have seen several different cuts as we've gone on.  But this will be the big one.  All the cast will finally see what they worked so hard on, all our girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, wives, parents, kids, etc, will see what we missed birthday party's and holidays for...

Russ and I started this flick in spring 2003.  We had an idea with a buddy Josh Leder.  We cast Jim and Josh in it, and we started it.  

And it was bad...  So we let it sit.  

Josh and Jim stuck around for the next project.  Josh faded away when he got a girl...  But we couldn't get rid of Jim (we tried!  Just kidding Jim!) and he kept wanting to go back and do "Josh and Todd".  In 2004 or 2005 we tried again, but never even got it cast...  Then in 2008 Jim and I polished up the short film into a feature length flick...  and we were filming by the fall...  

Wow.  Seven years total on this flick, Hell, almost eight!  And now in a few hours we'll be watching it.  I have to admit I'm nervous.

I know it's good.  I've seen it.  

But will anyone else agree?

I'll let you know tomorrow!

And thank you Eric...

For being a true friend.  And honest human.  And for saying yes to being in the flick.

Without you I really don't think it would have been this good!

 Jon and Eric

Monday Song - Come On Get Higher

Happy Valentine's Day!

I miss the sound of your voice

And I miss the rush of your skin

And I miss the still of the silence

As you breathe out and I breathe in

If I could walk on water

If I could tell you what's next

I'd make you believe

I'd make you forget

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard

And drown me in love

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard

And drown me in love

I miss the sound of your voice

Loudest thing in my head

And I ache to remember

All the violent, sweet

Perfect words that you said

If I could walk on water

If I could tell you what's next

I'd make you believe

I'd make you forget

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard

And drown me in love

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard

And drown me in love

I miss the pull of your heart

I taste the sparks on your tongue

I see angels and devils

And God, when you come on

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard

And drown me in love

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips

Faith and desire and the swing of your hips

Just pull me down hard

And drown me, drown me in love

It's all wrong, it's all wrong

It's all wrong, it's so right

So come on, get higher

So come on and get higher

'Cause everything works, love

Everything works in your arms. 

(Matt Nathanson)

Snow Is Now A Four Letter Word.

So it's snowing.

Again.

I live in New England, Connecticut to be specific, so I hear all the time "you should be used to this".  And I am.  I'm used to snow.  It doesn't mean I have like it.

I did like it this season.  At first it was refreshing to see it and hear Jingle Bells on the radio.   Then New Years came, and then there's been a storm pretty much every week since.  

And now it's just getting old.

I don't ski, my winter sports are drinking coffee and watching movies, so I have been doing a ton of that (thank you Netflix) but even that is running thin.

Anyway...  back to puppets for a second...

JOSH AND TODD: THE STORY OF A MAN AND HIS PUPPET

PREMIERE SCREENING 2/19/11

AT PARIS IN PLANTSVILLE

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!

Monday Song - Dead Horse

Sick of this life

Not that you'd care

I'm not the only one with

whom these feelings I share

Nobody understands,

quite why we're here

We're searchin' for answers

That never appear

But maybe if I looked real hard I'd

I'd see your tryin' too

To understand this life,

That we're all goin' through

(Then when she said she was gonna like wreck my car...  I didn't know what to do)

Sometimes I feel like I'm beatin' a dead horse

An I don't know why you'd be bringin' me down

I'd like to think that our love's worth a tad more

It may sound funny but you'd think by now

I'd be smilin'

I guess some things never change

Never change

I met an old cowboy

I saw the look in his eyes

Somethin' tells me he's been here before

'Cause experience makes you wise

I was only a small child

When the thought first came to me

That I'm a son of a gun and the gun of a son

That brought back the devil in me

Sometimes I feel like I'm beatin' a dead horse

An I don't know why you'd be bringin' me down

I'd like to think that our love's worth a tad more

It may sound funny but you'd think by now

I'd be smilin'

I guess some things never change

Never change

I ain't quite what you'd call an old soul

Still wet behind the ears

I been around this track a couple o' times

But now the dust is startin' to clear

Sometimes I feel like I'm beatin' a dead horse

An I don't know why you'd be bringin' me down

I'd like to think that our love's worth a tad more

It may sound funny but you'd think by now

I'd be smilin'

Sick of this life,

Not that you'd care...

(Guns N' Roses)

Monday Song - Selfless, Cold, and Composed

I said what you wanted to hear

And what I wanted to say

So I will take it back

Are all the dishes intact?

Let them be broken

It's easy to be

Easy and Free

When it doesn't mean anything

You remain selfless, cold and

Composed

You've done me no favor

to call and be nice

Telling me I

Can take anything I like

You don't owe me to be so

Polite

You've done no wrong

You've done no wrong

Get out of my sight

It's easy to be

Easy and Free

When it doesn't mean anything

You remain

Selfless, cold, and

Composed

Come on baby. Now throw me 

a right to the chin

Don't you stare like 

You never cared

I know you did

You just smiled

like a band teller

telling me bleakly

have a nice life 

(Ben Folds Five)

Josh and Todd Screening At Paris In Plantsville!

February 19, 2011

8:00 PM

$5.00!!!

Monday Song - You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks

If you and your folks love me and my folks like

Me and my folks love you and your folks

If there ever was folks

That ever ever was poor

If you and your thing dig me and my thing

Like me and my thing dig you and your thing

And we all got a thing

Yeah, and it's a very good thing

Ha! 

But if in our fears, we don't learn to trust each other

And if in our tears, we don't learn to share with your brother

You know that hate is gonna keep on multiplying

And you know that man is gonna keep right on dying

Yeah

Yeah, yeah

The rich got a big piece of this and that

The poor got a big piece of roaches and rats

Can you get to that

Tell me where it's at

Yeah!

Hey!

You want peace

I want peace

They want peace

And the kids need peace

There won't be no peace

The rich got a big piece of this and that

The poor got a big piece of roaches and rats

Can you get to that

Tell me where it's at

If you and your folks loved me and my folks

Like me and my folks love you and your folks

If there ever was folks

That ever ever was poor

If you and your thing dig me and my thing

Like me and my thing dig you and your thing

Then we all got a thing

And it's a very good thing

(Funkadelic)

Monday Song - Timshell

Cold is the water

It freezes your already cold mind

Already cold, cold mind

And death is at your doorstep

And it will steal your innocence

But it will not steal your substance

But you are not alone in this

And you are not alone in this

As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand

Hold your hand

And you are the mother

The mother of your baby child

The one to whom you gave life

And you have your choices

And these are what make man great

His ladder to the stars

But you are not alone in this

And you are not alone in this

As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand

Hold your hand

And I will tell the night

Whisper, "Lose your sight"

But I can't move the mountains for you

(Mumford and Sons)

JOSH AND TODD SCREENING!!!

Todd and some mook...

YES!  

JOSH AND TODD 

IS READY TO BE SCREENED!

Here's a link to the Faceplant event page for it, CLICK HERE!

This flick is something I've been working on since 2003.  In some form or another it's been brewing that long.  And we (Russ, Jim, Tricky, and I) are now ready to show it off.  Hope you come to see it!

Monday Song - Mother's Little Helper

What a drag it is getting old
"Kids are different today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day

"Things are different today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Cooking fresh food for a husband's just a drag
So she buys an instant cake and she burns her frozen steak
And goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And two help her on her way, get her through her busy day

Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old

"Men just aren't the same today"
I hear ev'ry mother say
They just don't appreciate that you get tired
They're so hard to satisfy, You can tranquilize your mind
So go running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And four help you through the night, help to minimize your plight

Doctor please, some more of these
Outside the door, she took four more
What a drag it is getting old

"Life's just much too hard today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
The pursuit of happiness just seems a bore
And if you take more of those, you will get an overdose
No more running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
They just helped you on your way, through your busy dying day
(The Rolling Stones)

Norm

Norm
Mouth Puppet

Cammy and Norm, AKA Gummy and Gumpy

Cammy

Cammy
Mouth Puppet
Cammy is my father's mother... I decided to make her and my step-grandfather as puppets for their Christmas gift this year. I call them Gummy and Gumpy. They have been two of my biggest supporters in this madness I call a puppet life, so I wanted them to be included, hahaha...

Here's the picture I used as reference...Tomorrow will be Norm, aka Gumpy...

Kyhole:

Kyhole

Mouth Puppet

Here's how Mr. Kyhole came about...

I got offered a commission to remake the already well known Kyhole (featured on Blam!) by his creator, Wayne Poe.

And I took the gig! Hahaha...

Here is two pics of the original that I used to base the new one on -

And here his is done, full body, hiding his junk behind the book!

And some pictures of him in progress...

-

Kyhole's Makeover as he remembers it...

For more Kyhole check out

Facebook

and BLAM!

Triplets!

Triplet Three
Mouth Puppet

Trips in progress!

Triplets!

Triplet Two
Mouth Puppet

Triplets!

Triplet One
Mouth Puppet

Monday Song - Coffee Shop

I am just a lousy bum

Searching for the unknown crumb
The crumb the crumb
Something or someone to come
Come along and illuminate my lust
Combust
Confucius might have been confused
And Buddha might have blown a fuse
Jooze the muse

Meet me at the coffee shop
We can dance like Iggy Pop
Another go in the parking lot
Frewak the cheek on your hotspot

Back and forth my body's jerking
Will to thrill will not stop working
Work and work
I'll take you on a honeymoon
Jumping on a bed in a hotel room
The room the room

Meet me at the coffee shop
We can dance like Iggy Pop
Another go in the parking lot
Frewak the cheek on your hotspot
(Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Monday Song - We Close Our Eyes

We close our eyes and dream and the world has turned around again

When everybody is running in the big race
And having a good time
Who am I to cast a shadow
Who am I?
I looked Death in the face last night
I saw him in a mirror
And he simply smiled
He told me not to worry
He told me just to take my time

We close our eyes and the world has turned around again
We close our eyes and dream and another year has come and gone
We close our eyes and the world has turned around again
We close our eyes and dream ...

And if you come to me
And if you touch my hand
I might just slip away
I might just disappear
Who am I?
And if you think I'm worth it
And if you think it's not too late
We might start falling
If we don't try to hard
We might start falling in love

We close our eyes and the world has turned around again
We close our eyes and dream and another year has come and gone
We close our eyes and the world has turned around again
We close our eyes and dream ...

We're on the healing path
We're on a roller coaster ride
That could never turn back
And if you love me
And if you really try
To make the seconds count
Then we can close our eyes

We close our eyes and the world has turned around again

Oingo Boingo

So it's the end of the year... What a year too...

I'm looking forward to 2011. 2010 was good, made some great new friends, and sadly lost a few people I love and care about... But that's with any year...

The good...
Made a ton of flicks!
Finished Josh and Todd!
Joined Paris In Plantsville!
And Brie got her Masters!!!

The Bad...
Not even gonna worry about it!

2011... Puppet A Day... Still gonna be going! Elmwood is still going to be kicking butt! And I just keep getting better looking! Hahaha!!!

Happy New Year...  Early!

Merry Christmas!

Santa

The Collection

Whatever holiday you celebrate art the cold end of each year, I hope it was, is, or will be a great one!

One More Sleep Til' Christmas (1992)

Home For The Holidays (2008)

Junkie's Christmas (1993)

Cookie Monster Contacts Santa (1975)

The Elf and Mr. Little (1953)

12 Days of Christmas (1979)

Santa Claus Presents Punch and Judy (1948)

From now through Christmas Eve I'm gonna share a puppety Christmas video thing...

Up first...  A Punch and Judy Show!

Monday Song - Wish You Were Here

This one's for my brother...

I dig my toes into the sand
The ocean looks like
A thousand diamonds
Strewn across a blue blanket
I lean against the wind
Pretend that I am weightless
And in this moment
I am happy, happy
I wish you were here

I lay my head onto the sand
The sky resembles
A backlit canopy
With holes punched in it
I'm counting UFOs
I signal them with
My lighter
And in this moment
I am happy, happy

I wish you were here

The world's a rollercoaster
And I am not strapped in
Maybe I should hold with care
While my hands are
Busy in the air
Saying

I wish you were here

Incubus

Monday Song - Days Of The Week

Monday, back from the dead
I'm letting it go, back for another one
Tuesday, shoot me in the head
I'm takin' it back, takin' it back
It'll take it back

Wednesday, she's looking for a friend
She'll get what she wants
Can't seem to get enough
Thursday, it's more than I can stand
I'm holding her down, holding her down
She's down again

I've gotta find a way to find her
Where could she be?
Four days of the week she thinks I'm the enemy

One day, left me for the dead
Woke up on the floor, time for another one
Two days, she's leavin' me again, can't take it no more
Out through the open door

Three days, she's found herself a friend
She got what she wants
Still never get enough
Four days, she's back with me again
She's pullin' me down, pullin' me down
I'm down again

I've got to find a way to find her
Where she could be?
Four days of the week she thinks I'm the enemy

Monday's gone
Tuesday's fadin'
Wednesday's gone
Thursday's all but wasted now

Monday, back from the dead
I'm letting it go back for another one
Tuesday, shoot me in the head
I'm taking it back, taking it back
I'll take it back

I gotta find a way to find her
Where could she be?
Four days of the week she thinks I'm the enemy
thinks I'm the enemy

Stone Temple Pilots