Hollywood Jesus Gathering Day 3

Happy New Year! Today was our last full day here in Renton. The discussions today were really good; very insightful and entertaining too. Topics for today included Race & Cinema, Language of Film, Gospel & Culture and Influences of Hollywood Jesus and its purpose. It's amazing to really think about how big HJ really is and how much of an influence it's becoming. Neat to think that some of us are starting to be invited to press junkets too. The best part of this whole weekend was putting names to faces and meeting people of like mind, including Peter Chattaway who lives in Vancouver working as a writer, and he and his wife are also expecting...twins, in fact! :o

Tonight, before ringing in the New Year, we shared favorite movie clips. I showed the incredible "I'm Lost" scene from Lilo & Stitch, and also my Lord of the Rings/Bring Me to Life video, which was a pretty big hit. A large part of me is sad to leave, as I think in one weekend we only stratched things on the surface, but God knows that more great things will happen. And yes, David Bruce is a real person! Very real, indeed. Future e-mail correspondence will be much more meaningful now with everyone, and I hope this happens again next year!

Hollywood Jesus Gathering Day 2

First full day with the HJ staff, discussing various things like horror films, foreign film vs. American film, and comic books. Had lunch today with David Bruce and Kevin Miller, who I finally got to meet. (Picture here is Kevin and Maurice Broaddus talkin' about comics) David read my mind and encouraged me to put a book together on animation under the HJ Publishing banner, so once the stop-motion book is out of the way that's something to work towards. I never fully realized what a revolutionary thing Hollywood Jesus was until coming to this, and that fact is only going to become clearer as the weekend moves along. It's neat to feel a part of something like this, and I definitely feel encouraged to become even more involved than I have been. I feel somewhat out of touch at times, since I don't see new movies very often and haven't seen as many as these folks. But I also know that I have my own special niche on the site for animation, too, which is needed.

Jay is spending most of her time in the hotel resting her tired pregnant self and enjoying New Years marathons of Full House and Law & Order SVU, like the good sport she is. It's been fun ordering room service and having great little meals with Red Panda.


Last night I got popcorn chicken in a candle holder! It had crunchy stringy things inside which I couldn't completely identify. I think they might have been drippings from the deep fryer. Or maybe fried snot. Tasted OK but I couldn't eat all of them.

Tomorrow is another day of discussions and a New Years party, and then it's 2006!

Hollywood Jesus Gathering Day 1

So today we have driven to Renton, WA and are here for the first annual Hollywood Jesus Gathering. It took us an hour to get through the border and then getting into the states we discovered that A&W and KFC have joined forces! I wonder if it spells anything...AWKFC? FWACK? That's it! FWACK! Sounds like a Batman sound! From the look of this picture, I have been FWACKED by fatty food. Huzzah for my liver.
So far the gathering is already very exciting and a great opportunity to meet people. Tonight we finally got to meet David Bruce after all these years, and I have a feeling it will be a life-changing weekend. More on this as we go along. At the moment it's time to rest after a long day of travelling.

Merry Christmas to All

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks...pregnant Jay has been sick and having the occasional BBLLEEARRUGGH but in good spirits nonetheless. We're excited to finally be able to say we're having a baby...it sinks in every now and then and I see myself starting to feel a greater appreciation for things. The Christmas concert at church went well as did the first chapter of my book being submitted. This week I interviewed Anthony Scott and Larry Larson. Pretty much just catching up on projects and getting them done so we can relax a little bit over the next few days. Not much else to say, except this has been a year for the books!

So, the Rock-afire says .... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! (yeah, I'm gonna say it, so put that in your politically incorrect pipe and smoke it!) Whee!

"Merry Christmas, Come Again!"

There and Back Again

The rest of our Michigan visit was fantastic....had a great time. Wednesday was a day for hanging out at the house, finding my long-lost 16mm Sorceror's Apprentice print, and a short jaunt to Lakeside Mall. Jonathan had to buy a teapot for Mom's birthday, and it had to cost $21.99. The one he saw before was no longer there, so we had to search each teapot until we found one at the right price. We stopped at the Disney Store and had a hard time getting out of there cuz they had so much cool stuff. Upon returning to the house, Yaya arrived and we had dinner (hot n' spicy tortilla soup), and then we set up the Christmas tree. Blake arrived with a dramatic entrance, knocking over a picture frame thingie which was left leaning against the door. Hung out, watched Family Guy, and that was Wednesday.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and viciously cold and snowy. We headed out to Nancy & Bill's house in Ann Arbor for dinner; it was great to see some of my cousins for the first time in 4 years! When we got back, Meighan stopped by for a visit and it was great to catch up. Gee how we've all grown!

Crazy crazy crazy man!


Friday we decorated the tree and did some window shopping in the Village. I found a farting dog toy that had me laughing so hard my eyes got puffy. I wasn't allowed to buy it. That's ok though, I went back the following day to videotape it, so I will be able to treasure it when I'm old, grey and farting. Anyway...

That night we also went to see the new Harry Potter movie. It was quite enjoyable, although I enjoyed the Prisoner of Azkaban a little bit more. When we came out, there was a real kind of magic in the sky as a vast snowfall was sailing down, looking quite amazing in the streetlights. Every night around 10:30 or 11ish we had to have Dan take us through a drive-thru for a midnight snack cuz our stomachs were still on Pacific Time and dinner was like our lunch. We got to visit the Grosse Pointe KFC which was like the Monty Python Cheese Shop because they were out of food.

Saturday we got to go to Costco and harrass Dan at Krogers. I threw a pair of panty hose at him. We also drove around town a bit, bought some flowers for Mom, shopped some more, and watched the Family Guy movie with Dan. I like the pop culture references in the show, and the surreal humor, but sometimes it seems like a big Seth MacFarlane ego trip that goes on way too long. But decent entertainment when you're in the right state of mind.

And I finally got an Ipod! It was worth the wait. Dad transferred a bunch of the Cruisin' record series to mp3s for me, and so far I've been enjoying them tremendously, appeasing my latest obsession with nostalgic radio. The music back then was so great. So much more basic. It's neat to get a glimpse into how things were before my time, and imagine what the culture must have been like for my parents.


Sunday was Mom's birthday so we brought presents over, and went out to the Henry Ford Museum for the Disneyland exhibit. It was amazing being in the presence of original artwork by John Hench, Marc Davis, Mary Blair and others. I have a special fondness for the old classic Disneyland rides and animatronics. We met Jeff & Marie and Steve & Mary there and got to catch up with them briefly too. Fun fun fun! After that we went to Memphis Smoke for birthday dinner...holy crap, best food ever.

Monday was a long day of travelling, since our first Detroit-Chicago flight was delayed we missed our connecting flight and had to wait almost 6 hours for the next one to Vancouver. By this time it was dark and a very bumpy ride. They also didn't serve any food! I had $10 in my pocket which I purposely didn't spend so we'd have money to buy those little meal boxes on the plane, and then they didn't have them! On a friggin' 4-hour flight all they gave out was friggin' pretzels! Good thing I had bought a bag of chips and some Good n' Plentys, but even that wasn't enough to keep me happy. (Note to self: Good n' Plentys are great by themselves, but don't mix with Pepsi.) I was not impressed. At least Charlie & the Chocolate Factory was mildly entertaining enough to keep my mind off things for half the flight.

Thusly, we finally arrived home cold and hungry around midnight, so now we're back.
And now for something completely different....

We told Mom, Dad and Dan at the dinner table Saturday night, and the news is now spreading further to other family and friends. August is sure to be a busy month, as Mike just got engaged and he & Jo have set a date for Aug. 26. My book also comes out around the same time the baby does, so our theme for August 2006 is Book-Baby-Brother-Bride!

...and Blessed! Pray that all goes well, for an Earthling child can only be found beyond the boundaries of Fantasia...

US Customs: May your prize bull hate cows

Well, here we are on our first full day in my childhood homeland...yesterday was pretty much a full day of travelling. It started out with a real kicker of a comment from the asshole of a US customs officer. I presented my Canadian passport, and this guy asked to see my US one, saying in a rather scolding manner that if I ever travel into the States, I show my US passport, because that's where I'm originally from. Fair enough. But then he says, 'There are only 3 kinds of people in this world: Americans, Residents of the US, and Foreigners.' And here I am with my beautiful Canadian wife beside me...rather embarassing. So I was pretty pissed for awhile after that. Makes me angry because I am proud of where I come from, but I don't understand where this arrogance comes from. But anyway, I digress....for now.

It's cold here and starting to snow. There is a Disneyland exhibit at the Henry Ford museum I hope to check out while we are here. So far it's just been hanging out with the family, and today we'll be picking up Yaya from the airport. Yay!

Writin' and Votin'

So I got my contract and various paperworks for the book....my final deadline for the manuscript is April 18, 2006! Pretty tight deadline, but it's managable. Today I came up with an outline for the history chapter. I'm thinking if I do the interviews first it will make the rest of the book easier. It boggles my mind that I'm doing this. I'm ecstatic!

This morning one of my 2D students showed me a tattoo design he was scheduled to carve into a client's arm later that day: a neo-Renaissance-style Christ on the cross, with people crowded around him praying. Very nice work. It was a neat witnessing experience, since he asked me for help in drawing one of the hands, so I got to explain some things about how the crucifixion happened and whatnot.

Today I also got to vote in Canada for the first time. Yay me! I have a voice. I'm special.

Just a few days and we fly out to Michigan to see family & friends...can't wait.

Jay & I saw Chicken Little last weekend and wrote a review for Hollywood Jesus. Read it and enjoy....http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/chicken_litte_reviews.htm

Remembrance Day

Today we are relaxing at home, and taking a moment to listen to the bagpipes outside, remembering those who fought in the trenches to preserve our freedom.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13

My first book

I recently got an email sent to me from work from an editor at Thomson Course Technologies publishing house, who found my bio on the VanArts website. They have written several instructional books on computer animation, filmmaking, etc. and because of the recent sucess of Corpse Bride and the Wallace & Gromit movie, thought it might be the right time to publish a book on stop-motion animation. So they asked me if I would be interested in writing it, so we started talking and I spent a few days writing up a proposal, which I sent off along with an animation reel.

Today the proposal was presented to the editorial board out in Boston, where the company is located, and they officially gave it the go-ahead, so I am now on my way to writing my first book!!! The great thing is that I've been comtemplating the whole author idea for a long time and never really knew how to get myself started, and now this just sort of fell into my lap! They want to have it finished and released by June/July 2006, so I have lots of work ahead of me, but we're both very excited about this opportunity!

South Park's New Kenny

Click here to join the cast along with me!

American Graffiti

For the past few days back and forth on the bus I've been watching American Graffiti on the little portable DVD player. The more I watch this movie, the more it grows on me....it almost ranks up there to being one of my favorites. I love the look of it, the story behind it, and the intentions that George Lucas had in making it. Outside of these things, it's hard for me to really describe what it is about it that draws me in, especially since it revolves around an era that I wasn't yet born to be part of, but I think that's the main reason why. I have a similar guilty pleasure obsession with Dirty Dancing, which is set in almost the same year. This time period of 1962-63 is often referred to as the 'end of innocence' right before Kennedy got shot, the British invasion, the hippie culture and the Vietnam war. It's a great concept....these inbetween moments right before a major upheaval in society. Probably relates to why I have such fond memories of early '89 and the 'making funny tapes' era with my friends....it was right before starting high school, moving away from my childhood house and things becoming gradually more complicated and dark for me. It's an ache to get back to the 'garden' before the 'fall'.....that's the spiritual sub-conscious part of it.

I know that the music in Graffiti is a major factor of my love for it, since I just got the soundtrack on vinyl and have always enjoyed going back to the roots of modern rock n' roll. I relate alot of the memories and sentiment around this music to my dad, and growing up listening to his records. Perhaps this is my way of dealing with my desire to be closer to him. I've lately had a small obsession with learning more about the history behind this era and the radio age. The mythology of the Wolfman is especially fascinating to me...the whole idea of a phantom DJ who is listened to by everyone; a true testament to the power of music. Music, like nothing else, brings a sense of community to people who would normally be estranged and disconnected from each other. This idea of the Wolfman has inspired a story idea I've had in the back of my head for a long time, to be incorporated into a book or screenplay...this idea of an angelic DJ who plays the soundtrack of a main character's life as he drives across the country.

"The Wolfman is everywhere!"

How can we sleep when our Beds are Burning?

5 points if you got the Midnight Oil reference!

Now that I've put that song in your head so you can't get it out, last night there was a fire in our building, and today I still have smoke in my lungs so the occasional cough is needed. *cough* The emotional impact of it finally hit me this morning, as I realized that we still don't know if our unknown neighbor made it through ok or not. It's very scary.

Anyway, as Jay has already blogged in full detail the events of last night, I will save myself the trouble and direct you here: http://thisisthegreatadventure.blogspot.com/2005/10/burning-down-house.html

The Great Pumpkin

This weekend we carved our Halloween punkin. During the activity we watched 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown'....my favorite TV special ever. I love the music, the backgrounds, the animation, the surreal dialogue, everything about it is so nostalgic and wonderful, and sums up the feeling of the season for me.

Also we finally saw the Wallace & Gromit movie, which is probably one of the best films I have ever seen, animated or otherwise, and I'm not just saying that because I'm biased.

My HollywoodJesus review for the film is here: http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/comments/ken/2005/10/wallace-gromit-and-curse-of-were.html

Ken needs...

There's a freaky web thing where if I type "ken needs" into a search engine, the various results that come up will have random things I need spread throughout. Try it with your name!

Here's what the internet tells me I need. This is worse than a horoscope!

Ken needs to learn the balance between being a great friend, and being a poor fiancé.
Ken needs long blonde hair.
Ken needs everybody’s prayers and support at this time.
Ken needs to buy that Bible version that features the dancing clowns and pop-up pictures.
Ken needs a hug and some new windchimes.
Ken needs a new cleaning lady.
Ken needs judges to participate in the Central Regional Science Fair on March 20th.
Ken needs to follow up with SMETE (Science, Math, Engineering, and TechnologyEducation) on NSF-oriented content and tools.
Ken needs to go on more "ski" holidays.
Ken needs your photos!
Ken needs your support to continue that work as the US Congressman for the 44thCongressional District.
Ken needs to learn how to discuss how he is feeling and why he is frustrated in a constructive manner.
Ken needs bigger hints than most people.
Ken needs a fully functioning animal with a working nervous system - in other words, the animal must be conscious.
Ken needs breast milk because he is having trouble growing.
Ken needs a part to fix the water.
Ken needs to see progress in his life. If he doesn't he'll become very frustrated and angry.
Ken needs the paddles, STAT!
Ken needs to take care of his baby brother.
Ken needs to watch sports.
Ken needs to implement an intense and high profile anti-fare dodging campaign targeted on people who seem to think they really are 'free' buses.
Ken needs to travel 280, but Miller tells him he’ll be going 250 or so.
Ken needs to take himself out of the Christian leadership role for which he no longer qualifies.
Ken needs a hug, things aren''t going so well since he helped drive Enron into the ground.
Ken needs time to deal with reality and decides to go off on his motorcycle.
Ken needs more pimping out there in the blog world.
Ken needs some extra underground Muppet inner circle trade cred.
Ken needs proof and goes to Bismark Falls Nebraska to interview Wallace.

Won't you please help?

A year without McDonalds

It's officially been a whole year since I've stepped into or eaten at a McDonald's, after seeing the film Super Size Me. Not much more to say about it, other than I'm sure I'm a healthier person today.

Lots to look forward to for the rest of this year: Halloween, trip home to Michigan, Christmas, and the Hollywood Jesus gathering over New Years. Makes me feel all squishy inside.

Have you greeted your neighborhood moose today?

Shining Video

I can't get enough of this video I found on Ifilm. It's a brilliant and funny piece of editing.
http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2681181

Victoria Trip and Clockwork Cold

We're now back from our annual Victoria visit, which was intruded upon by another annual visit, my October cold. So I'm home today trying to recover. Nonetheless, we had a great time as usual.

Hopped on the 1pm ferry, checked into the Regent (highly recommended), got my antique Mountie photo done to commemmorate my citizenship, shopped around, had dinner at Chandlers, and got to participate in a wonderful event happening at the Parliament building. The Cancer Society was accepting donations in return for handing out paper bags with candles inside to light in memory of someone struggling (or who lost the battle) with cancer. So we placed one for Grandma Priebe. It was a moving sight.

Next day we had high tea at the Empress and spent the afternoon at Butchart Gardens, where we had never been before, and it was worth the trip! Very beautiful. Felt good to connect with nature in all its glory. Much more soothing than the way I'm connecting with nature at the moment. *cough sniff hack*





Jay has more details on her blog and more photos on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenjay/
http://thisisthegreatadventure.blogspot.com/

Movies and Comments

I've recently posted a new review on my HollywoodJesus blog for Corpse Bride...
http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/corpse_bride_reviews.htm

...and with Wallace & Gromit opening today, a review for that will follow soon once I've seen it.

I just noticed today a comment from an old friend on one of my old posts...it's neat to find out who's checking in now and then. Possibly a whole lot more, since I was mentioned on Cartoon Brew (www.cartoonbrew.com) recently too. If you are an old friend, a new friend, or even a stranger, and you have just read this, leave me a comment and contribute to my little experiment!

If you are a parasite who is just going to post fake junk comments, then may your prize bull hate cows.

I'm Canadian

It's finally official!

I would like to thank my loving wife Jay for the inspiration and waiting patiently through all the paperwork, and Nana, Stella and Pastor Dave for attending my ceremony (and giggling when they said the oath would be recited in French too). Seriously though, thanks for the support! Also to my family and friends back home, who helped me get to this day and will always have a place to hang their touque across the border.



The ceremony was very nice...94 people from 29 different countries were there too. The judge who performed it was very heartfelt and said some inspiring things. It's neat how there is lots of emphasis on joining a family and contributing to a community when coming here; I like that. I shall miss my colorful PR card which got thrown into a box, but I have a nice new citizenship card now with a more current haircut. Afterwards we all went out for lunch at White Spot, and I had my BC Burger with fries and a coke....a very symbolic American/Canadian meal. Beauty.

Also while in the neighborhood we made a visit to Ten Thousand Villages and the awesome record store in Langley, where I finally found a mint-condition copy of the Muppet Movie Soundtrack on vinyl, with a bonus poster, so naturally I was very excited and it was a perfect gift to find on a day like today. Praises!