Don't ask me how the colours got screwed up. Oh well, Merry Christmas one and all.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Razzberry Jazzberry Jam
That's the title of the new show I've been working on for the past few months. I've finally been told when it will debut on TV. It'll first air on Dec 23, 2008 at 7:00 a.m. on CBC. Tivo it if you have to. To whet everyone's whistle, there's a trailer online for it so that you can get an idea of what the show is like:
I think the main goal of this show, besides entertaining the pre-kindergarten demographic, is to help kids develop an appreciation for music. Besides all the characters being walking/talking instruments, they're also named after famous musicians.
Ella is named after Ella Fitzgerald:
R.C. stands for Ron Carter I think:
Billie is Billie Holiday:
Buddy is named after Buddy Rich:
Bonus: Buddy Rich on the Muppet Show
Krupa gets his name from Gene Krupa:
And, of course, I think the most obvious one is Louis being patterned after Louis Armstrong:
Once again, the show debuts on Dec 23, 2008 at 7:00 a.m. on CBC. It's regular schedule is 6:00 and 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Watch for it.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
More Nephew Drawings
Here he is in real life...
...and here's my rendering of him in pencil. Yay!
That's it.
Oh, but one other thing. Yes, I know the American election happened a million years ago already. I would have said something at the time but I was waaaaaay too busy at work. So, I'm saying it now.
Yes indeed, the good guys won. Hooray! But, of course, here's something we'll be hearing from all those sore loser McCain-iacs, Palin-istas, and any other assorted neo-con loyal Bushie types:
Okay! Post over.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Compare
Take a good look at the two pictures below. One is of Stephen Colbert, the other is of my nephew, Michael. There is one unmistakable similarity. Can you see it?
n, when the moment is right, they could combine their powers and bring about an event similar to the coming Apocolypse only with much more of an intense searing pain (and possibly a little bit of cow tipping).
Did you find it. WHAT??!! You didn't??!! Unless your the ghost of Ray Charles there's no excuse for missing it. Take another look. Scan both of them pixel by pixel if necessary.
You're just not seeing it, eh?
It's not one of those stupid eye-distortion pictures from the '90's. It should be absolutely 100% obvious.
Don't give me that look. I know that look. You do that every time. You tell me it's "too hard" when really you're just too...
Oh, alright. Here:
That's
right. That's the one thing my nephew and Mr. Colbert both have in
common. They both BEAR THE MARK! (oh, and....... sorry things got so heated back there.... I get that way sometimes. Are we still buds?)
Anyway, YES! Both have the mark. A
mark that no mere mortal man would have. The prophesy of such a mark has been told and retold through the generations. Many ancient civilizations talk of "the frightfully asymmetrical head of doom" that will one day come and strike fear into the hearts of man and beast alike.
And lo, a son will be born onto earth. He will appear as mortal as any man only one of his ears will resemble that of a demon spawn. When that son doth grow to that of a man, another will be born possessing the same demonic lobe. Combined, their evil powers will bring about ruin and destruction for all. Rivers will boil. Mountains will crumble. Cats will do it 'doggy-style' and dogs will do it 'kitty-style'. And when all is still, Satan will rise up from Hades and laugh maniacally.
-Revelations : ........... trust me, it's in there.
It appears that the prophesy has come to pass. Evil officially walks the earth as of this posting. Though these men have not yet come in contact, they are upon the earth at similar times withi
n man's calander. It is quite possible that they could meet, perhaps secretly. The
n, when the moment is right, they could combine their powers and bring about an event similar to the coming Apocolypse only with much more of an intense searing pain (and possibly a little bit of cow tipping)."What are we to do", you may be asking. "Is there anywhere we can hide from this onslaught of destruction?" You may also ask. Well, the ancient ones do speak of an oasis of sorts. According to their legends, underneath the tallest mountain, deeper than the furthest depths of the ocean, lies a po
rthole. It is said that if one passes through this porthole one is telleported onto the surface of the moon. Once there, the evil that walks the earth is more visible and therefore and easier target. Somewhere on the moon's surface is a stone made of granite and zirconium. If 10 of the most purest and righteous men touch that stone, it will emit a beam powerful enough to thwart Satan's children (or at least make them turn around and go "huh?")
You now what I think Iron Maiden said it best:
But, that is but a legend. When the final days come and we must all fight against Colbert and Michael at their peak, all we can do is offer them some Babe Ruth bars and hope for the best.
Ha ha ha! No, neither of them are evil. They just have funny looking ears is all. I hope one day, they do become friends.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Rock the Vote, eh?
Yep, Canada goes to the voting booths on October 14th. But, there are also some advance voting going on October 3rd. At least that's how it is in my area. I know who my vote would be going towards:
Sadly, none of them are running in this election. So, we Canadians are going to have to settle for the following 4 options:
Steven Harper
Stéphane Dion
Jack Layton
Elizabeth May
Go out and make the right choice for Canada. I think it would be unfair to try and convince anyone who NOT to vote for. I wouldn't want to be a "harper" on that issue.
;)
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Getting Cocky
A few months ago, I introduced my Uncle Bernard to the blogosphere. Now, here's a little comic I slapped together starring him:
This is a true story.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
My nephew
There he is, Micheal Robert Germain Richards. He was born March 30, 2008. He's pretty much the best thing ever.
My sister (his mother) asked me to be a "guide partent" for him recently. That's similar to a God Parent I'm assuming. I of course said yes. Unfortunately, geography prevented me from being there in person. So, as a way of representing my presence there, I drew a caricature of little Michael and it was put on the pamphlet.
Here's how the back of it looked:
Blessing of Flower and Candle
The gardens of the world are full of many flowers, each different, each beautiful, and each unique. May this flower remind us that our children are like those flowers. Each is different, each is beautiful, and each is unique.
There is much darkness in the world but many candles hold it back. These flames bring light in the darkness, warm those that are cold, and light the way to truth. May this candle remin
d us that our children are like those candles. Each can be a candle in the world, bringing light, warmth, and truth. – Adapted from a Unitarian service
"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it”, and he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. – Mark 10: 14-16
A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for. – Author unknown
Every child begins the world again. – Henry David Thoreau
If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle – Vincent Van Gogh
Caricature of Michael by guideparent, David Germain
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Young People Fucking
Yeah, I'm putting the movie's full title in the title of this post. Censorship in any form is dumb.
Anyway, that's the movie I saw last night. It is truly a great film. Martin Gero did an excellent job, especially for his first gig. Incidentally, another young man directed HIS first film back 1939 and it went on to great things. That is of course Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. I'm not saying this movie was AS great as that one, I'm just making a comparison is all. I guess a more accurate comparison would be to Woody Allen's Annie Hall. Although, Young People Fucking follows 6 couples rather than just one and it doesn't go off into surreal dream-like segments like Annie Hall does. But, the end message for both movies is pretty much the same: we go through with all that craziness because "we need the eggs".
Anyway, that's the movie I saw last night. It is truly a great film. Martin Gero did an excellent job, especially for his first gig. Incidentally, another young man directed HIS first film back 1939 and it went on to great things. That is of course Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. I'm not saying this movie was AS great as that one, I'm just making a comparison is all. I guess a more accurate comparison would be to Woody Allen's Annie Hall. Although, Young People Fucking follows 6 couples rather than just one and it doesn't go off into surreal dream-like segments like Annie Hall does. But, the end message for both movies is pretty much the same: we go through with all that craziness because "we need the eggs".
As for the "depravity" in the film, I saw none. It's no dirtier than say American
Pie or some such comedy like that. The only nudity I saw was 3 naked girl boobs and 3 naked boy bums. T
hat's it. Of course, there's plenty of moaning, groaning, heavy panting, and many other noises associated with the orgasm, but, as Jon Lovitz would say, it's all just.................. ACTING!!!
It is definitely NOT as bad as Charles McVety and the Canadian Tories are trying so desperately to make everybody believe. Most, if not all, of those people are condemning this film without even seeing it. I mean, one of those Conservative politicians even fired one of his employees just for purchasing tickets to this movie. Really, anyone who shuns this movie AND has the unmitigated Stalin-esque gall to try to deby funding to many other movies in the future are nothing but a bunch of these things:
Since they refuse to see it, the only apsect of the film they can even begin to object to is the title. That's really the only problem here. That title is the very thing that is making the Canadian government nervous enough to take baseless moral stands and tread upon some of
our freedoms. I'd like to help if I can. I just composed a list of titles this movie COULD have had that maybe would have been more acceptable - David Letterman style.
So here now, for the Harper government's perusing pleasure, the:
Top 10 Alternate Titles for Young People Fucking
10. Sticky Pants
9. Jizz-opalooza
8. If This Movie Starred a Cast of Monkeys, You'd All Be Vomiting Right Now
7. The "Ins & Outs" of Modern Romance
6. How to Play a Rusty Trombone
5. All Sigmund Freud Sees Are Train-Tunnels and Various Vegetables
4. Fornicatiarific
3. If You're Horny and You Know It, Clap Your Hands
2. Confidentially, This Movie is Actually a Transcript of One of Stephen Harper's Hot Tub Parties
...and the #1 Alternate Title for Young People Fucking:
Herpes Goes Bananas
There! Problem solved.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
R.I.P. Bo Diddley
I had a chance to see him perform live last year, AND I MISSED IT!! I either had to work that day or I was sleeping. Whichever way it was, I missed the chance of a lifetime. The man was a musical genius and a true Rock & Roll pioneer. If you want to learn a bit more about the man, of all sites the Big Cartoon Database has a terrific write-up over there. One thing they hit upon is how Bo's song Bo Diddley was used in Ralph Bakshi's Fritz the Cat. What amazed me about that is even though the song was a whole 17 years old at the time the movie was released, it still seemed to fit amid the other funkadelic music on the soundtrack. That alone shows just how ahead of his time Bo really was.
Speaking of cartoons, I added one of his songs to my Busy Town demo reel. The song I used was Diddlin'. I think it accompanies the action quite well.
And of course, for good measure, here's a live performance from the man himself. If you didn't know "what the big deal about him was" before, you'll certainly know after the clip is done. Enjoy!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
My Uncle Bernard
That's him at age 3 or thereabouts. I've been drawing pictures of him lately. Here's what I've got so far:
Hopefully my uncle will be pleased.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
The Canadian government meets to discuss Bill C-10 today
http://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/Guide.aspx
For a better idea on what exactly the controversy with this Bill is, here's an excellent debate about it on a Canadian talk show The Hour with George Stromboulopoulos:
I already made my position known in the previous post so I won't repeat myself here. I'll just say "Hooray for George!!"
You can see it all via webcast at the times listed. (Since all this is happening in Ottawa, I'm sure the times are all Eastern Standard Time).
For a better idea on what exactly the controversy with this Bill is, here's an excellent debate about it on a Canadian talk show The Hour with George Stromboulopoulos:
I already made my position known in the previous post so I won't repeat myself here. I'll just say "Hooray for George!!"
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Hey Hey! Ho Ho! Bill C-10 has GOT TO GO!!
For those who haven't heard about this yet, Bill C-10 is a bill that will allow the Canadian government to deny tax breaks to any film not meeting their standards of decency. Thankfully, it hasn't been passed yet, but with the amount of pressure being put upon Parliament, it just might happen.
Y'see, there's a evangelical guy working in the shadows named Charles McVety (aka this monkey) putting his grubby fingers all over this bill. Acting on behalf of CFAC (Ann Coulter's wet dream) he and his flying monkeys will make sure that no Canadian tax dollars fund any films that he wouldn't approve. Oh well, the CBC and the National Film Board were nice organizations we had once. It's too bad they both depended on tax dollars for everything they did. If only every employee had more than two kidneys to sell, they just might have lasted longer.
Maybe he'd rather we have someone like Brian Mulroney in parliament again so that our tax dollars could be put towards things like Ronald Reagen's STAR WARS Defence Initiative. Actually, now that I've brought it up, once these taxes are no longer going towards any films, where will they be going?
If you want to voice your opinion about this bill directly to the people who can have it stopped, send some snail mail to this address:
General mail:
Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce
The Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1A 0A4
"But hey! You're just a blogger, Mr. Germain. You just post your pictures and type out lengthy tyraids online. Why do you care so much about this bill passing or not?"
That's a good question, hypothetical blog reader. I care because I live in Canada and I am an animator/film maker. I've made only one film so far but I do hope to make more. However, that road to getting enough financial backing to make any films will be much tougher if the bill passes. Heck, the veterans of the Canadian film and television industry are going to have tougher times ahead. It'll be damn near impossible for upandcomers like me as well as anyone behind or slightly in front of me.
With that, I'll leave you with a copy of my film. Do you think McVety or anyone in his corner would give any tax dollars to it? You be the judge.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Today is Tex Avery's 100th birthday
Yes, that's right. Today is the birthday of one of the most ingenious minds of all time, Mr. Tex Avery. "What did he do?", you ask. (Well, those who've been living under a rock on Jupiter's 3rd moon with their heads buried under 2 feet of dirt would ask that question). Well, all he did was establish the ideal foundation of animation and satire that has yet to be duplicated or surpassed. But, hey, mere words cannot accurately capture what makes Tex so great. The best way to do that would be to show as many samples of his work as possible: (no, you definitely don't have to watch all these films at once. Just watch a few now and again whenever you have the time. That way you keep the celebration going for much longer than just 1 day.)
Ha! I guess I'll leave a few films for others to put on their blogs and/or any other digital media.
I'll just end this by saying "Happy Birthday, Tex. I hope people are remembering your birthday as well as your legacy in another 100 years."