thehefner | idiots, junkies, and handlebar mustaches: the

One problem with working Thursdays at the Bethesda Big Planet Comics is that the Washington City Paper delivery man comes in to browse and talk our ears off. It's bad enough he absolutely reeks of tobacco so as to be intolerable within a ten foot radius, but he has to ramble incessantly about comics even though he hasn't really read one for what must be fifteen years, so he doesn't know a damn thing he's talking about.

When he came in just now, Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" was playing on the radio. He started bouncing along to it, moving and grooving to the beat, and declared, "The hardest rocking band ever."

Now, I'm nowhere near close to the point where such a comment would make me utterly, finally snap. I can't begin to venture a guess as to what that will finally look like, but I'm fairly certain when that time comes, it will be thanks to a comment just like that.

It's not even worth tearing apart, although you folks might feel differently. Fleetwood fucking Mac, man.

A couple of nights ago, Robert Downey Jr. was on "Inside the Actor's Studio," which was absolutely fascinating. I really think he and Kevin Spacey are the finest actors out there right now. Lipton quoted some critic observing, and I'm paraphrasing here, "The magic of Downey's acting is how he is always playing two emotions at the same time, often conflicting. And when he's really on fire, it's three." That mangled quote is going to stay with me for a long time.

I admit, I was tweaked when Lipton starting talking about ZODIAC and FUR, RDJ projects that haven't even come out yet, but there was no mention of IRON MAN. Bad form, Soup Man.

An intriguing story idea hit me yesterday. As much as I love GANGS OF NEW YORK, even I admit that it's flawed like crazy. Know what I'd like to do someday? Do a remake of it, as a novel if not a movie, but tailored around the book/film CITY OF GOD.

Because, man, when I saw that film, all I was thinking was how much it reminded me of the Gangs days. I'd do the story as an ensemble story with all the rich characters like Monk and Hellcat Maggie, but Amsterdam and Jenny (Leo and Cameron) will be supporting characters, if not removed entirely, and the focus would be on Bill the Butcher and Priest (the Liam Neeson character, because seriously, he was so much more compelling in those five minutes of screentime than Leo was in the whole film!).

I bet I could probably get away with it, since the film was loosely based around real people. I would prefer to use Bill Cutting from the movie rather than the real-life Bill Poole, but whatever.

Just yet another little project to throw onto the pile.