I'm still nervous about what the future holds (and this feeling may keep me from Fan Expo Canada this year; how much you wanna bet that Ming-Na Wen found out about the potential lack of a mandatory masking policy and basically responded with 'Fuck that!'?), but I'm significantly less 'woe is me' than in previous months. I'm trying my best to eat better and exercising with a lot more frequency.

I just hope I'm able to not go too crazy. This coming month sees the Erie County Fair and a trip to Toronto and I promise nothing.

One Last Taste.

As sure as the sun shining in the sky, I looked forward to the Taste of Buffalo every second weekend in July. (Just to let you know: yes I, too, see the rhyme in the opening line, but it was just too perfect, number one and number two, I don’t have the patience to do the whole post that way, so deal with it.)

The last few months, however, have seen my body malfunctioning in a number of ways, all of which point uncomfortably to diabetes and - unless things change - I may not be able to gorge on all kinds of foods like I used to in the past.

As I have done for many years, I park on another street a good few blocks away. Sure, the closer spaces are likely taken, but whatever exercise I can get in the face of this situation is fine by me.

I get to the Taste where I immediately head for the tent selling tickets. Now, it may have been the sweat pouring from my brow or the rumored brain fog that comes with diabetes (Christ on a cracker, does that word make me uncomfortable), but my math skills were not up to my usual standards. Tickets were sold this year at six dollars a sheet (up from five; thanks, Biden). Looking back, I definitely meant to get five or six sheets (all the better to keep my sugar down, my dear) instead of the eight I was saddled with. (For context, each sheet has ten tickets, so that’s 80 I paid for...and now, my math skills have returned.)

As much as I want to pretend otherwise, this was not a subconscious rebellion; I truly didn’t want that many tickets. I doubt that they give refunds, especially considering I paid with my card, so I had no choice but to grin and bear it.

Making a path to try meals in order of where the booths reside, my first stop was Rachel’s Mediterranean for the Falafel Rice Bowl.

Falafel isn’t something I partake of very often, which is unfortunate. This was quite good and the other ingredients (lettuce, tomato, feta) complemented it well.

From here, I had planned to try the Chicken Wonton from Sidelines, but, hey, a brother is allowed to change his mind. I settled on the Alu Matar Samosa from India Gate.

It took some doing for my plastic fork to break through the shell, but it was worth it.

As far back as 1998’s Small Soldiers, I’ve been fascinated by a burger topped with onion rings. Some restaurants have swapped out rings for strings, such as with the Rodeo Burger from Stack Burger.

A specialty burger like this is always a joy. From here, I'd wanted to go to Dirty Bird's food truck, but they didn't have the BBW (chicken, bacon and ranch between two waffles) like I wanted to get from them three years ago. Their main dish this year was Chicken and Waffles on a Stick. Sensing - and quite rightly - that it wouldn't hold up as it was presented, I, instead, decided on the Kartoffelsuppe from Hofbrauhaus. 

Creamy soup with vegetables and meat. Very delicious and given the award it won, I'm not the only one who thought so.

By this point, I’m feeling mentally peer pressured to spend my excess tickets, which accounts for why I got a large order of Greek Fries from Venus as opposed to the more manageable smaller size.

Don’t get me wrong; they were tasty, but it does no good to mount a pretense of eating better with fried potatoes and garlic sauce traveling through my gullet. With the fries digested, I figure it’s time for dessert, and what better dish to partake of than a piece of Peanut Butter Pie from Danny’s South?

Whoa. I’d completely forgotten about the drizzling of chocolate syrup on top. My mind was racing. Should I really eat this? Was it worth the risk to my health?

With fork in hand, I dug in, breaking off a corner piece and sliding it in my mouth. As the richness of the pie and its various parts (forgot about the mini chocolate chips!) registered in my taste buds, I got a flash of the effect that the whole piece might...would have on my body.

For the first time in my life, I would not finish a piece of Peanut Butter Pie.

I retreated to one of the tents meant for dining and encouraging fellowship between strangers. I was torn between leaving the remaining piece behind and tossing it out. I’ve never been much for wasting food (which is likely what brought me to this point), but a piece of pie on an outside table in a pandemic is not getting snapped up, so I threw it away. Thankfully, it was out of their purview so they couldn’t be offended by the gesture.

The extra tickets I certainly couldn’t bring myself to dispose of, so I left them on a table, feeling they could do more for someone else than myself.

It pains me to look to a future where the things I love to eat are forbidden if I want to stay alive, especially the foods offered at the Taste. Still, it’s been a hell of a run. R.I.P. My chances of going here again.

San Diego Charging.

Looks like the biggest Con in the world is back on...and back in July, where it belongs. (Thanksgiving. Are you fucking serious?) Anyway...

Thursday

Rhapsody PR's 14th Annual Behind-the-Music Panel - 10:00am - Room 25ABC - Okay, so the panelists are mainly TV composers and Media Ventures graduates. Still, there are worse ways to start the Con.

8th Musical Anatomy of a Superhero: Film and TV Composer Panel - 11:00am - Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront - The second of the Con's three film music panels, breaking down the way to score heroes with a number of up-and-coming ladies and a couple of guys named Chris.

Ship-It Show Live with Tara Strong and Greg Cipes - 12:00pm - Ballroom 20 - Huh. I didn't even know they had a podcast. Maybe, she mentioned it in her Twitter feed, but I can't recall.

Animated Lives: John Musker and Ron Clements - 1:30pm - Room 10 - Together, they've put out an impressive array of animated features. Here's hoping that 2D isn't entirely gone. I'm sure they have one more masterpiece in them.

1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever First Look - 3:00pm - Room 5AB - I want to see this documentary, even with the small number of major movies from this year I've watched.

Animation Story Editors: What Do They Do? - 6:00pm - Room 9 - From the sounds of things, they do it all: hiring writers, approving storyboards, some light voice directing. No windows, though. 

Jaws: the Trial - 7:00pm - Grand 12 and 13, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina - Peep this: "The Town of Amity is being sued by the families of shark attack victims! Was it right for Mayor Vaughn to keep the beaches open after the death of Chrissie Watkins? Was the medical examiner right to change Watkins’s cause of death to a boating accident?" Perhaps one of the most inventive-sounding panels of this year’s Con. I just hope the execution is up to snuff.

The 25th Annual San Diego Comic-Con Superhero Kung Fu Extravaganza - 8:00pm - Room 6A - Action scenes from all over the world. I am so in.

Friday

The Black Panel - 10:00am - Room 5AB - Where can we go from here and will it be worth the trip?

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder - 1:00pm - Room 6A - I really should get around to watching this, huh?

Horror and the Inevitable Remake - 2:00pm - Neil Morgan Auditorium, San Diego Central Library - Based on Nothing New: A Remake Podcast, this panel explores the potential in delivering another go-round of a scary story.

Bob's Burgers - 3:00pm - Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront - I liked the movie and I really hope the show isn’t in danger of getting stale. 12 seasons is a lot, after all.

You're Wrong, Leonard Maltin - 4:00pm - Room 23ABC - The idea of defending something that he disparaged in his Movie and Video Guide is a fascinating one. 

Saturday

A Look Back at Animated Series from the 80s - 10:00am - Room 9 - Okay, so the major networks don't air cartoons on Saturday mornings anymore (schmucks!), but the writers behind a lot of these shows will no doubt provide some fascinating background info.

The Character of Music - 11:30am - Room 5AB - One can't help but think the blurb may be overselling this a tad. 'Lush adventurous soundscapes'? 'Emotional character themes'? I don't mean to be cynical, but are we talking about modern film music?

Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski - 1:00pm - Room 7AB - Kind of a continuation of 'A Look Back at Animated Series' given his cartoon work, but he's been all over the map. Who wouldn't want to follow?

The Orville (3:00pm - Ballroom 20) - I really ought to get back into watching this. I've been hearing so much about the new season.

Spotlight on Phil LaMarr - 4:00pm - Room 23ABC - Been a fan of his ever since "Mad TV". It'd be so cool to hear his stories.

Becoming a Writer - 6:00pm - Room 11 - Not quite a spotlight as a Q&A session with J. Michael Straczynski on how to break in to writing.

Sunday 

I Hear Voices w/ Will Friedle and Christy Carlson Romano - 10:15am - Room 6BCF - Apparently, this is a podcast that the two of them have started and while I'm still not crazy about Ron's higher voice, the reunion episode with John DiMaggio and Nicole Sullivan was delightful.

Cartoon Voices 2 - 11:45am - Room 6A - Because why wouldn't I?

Starship Smackdown XXXVI: Battle of the Network Starships in the Multiverse of Madness - 2:45pm - Room 6A - I likely could care less about the subject itself, but the collection of guests (most of whom participated in the various 'Best Movie Year Ever' panels of the past) makes it a must-see.

And I must mention the B-team schedule of events:

Thur
Legends Talk Animation (2:30pm - Room 10) - A pair of veteran animators - based at Disney mainly - share stories from their careers. 
Fifty Years of Funny: The Cartooning Career of Scott Shaw! (3:30pm - Room 10) - Even as a child watching "Muppet Babies", it's hard not to notice a name with an exclamation point. Maybe, I'd get to find out what it means.
Making Magic: From Script to Screen in 2022 (7:00pm - Room 23ABC) - The truth about adapting a piece of literature or comic book into a movie. 
Battle Brackets: Best Pop Culture Pets (8:00pm - Room 28DE) - As everyone knows, the best pop culture pet is Tenchi Muyo's Ryo-Ohki. A combination of a cat and a rabbit that can turn into a spaceship. Anyone who chooses anything else is dead to me.
Psychology of Cult TV Shows: How to Cope with Loneliness Through Pop Culture (8:00pm - Room 25ABC) - Finding a sense of belonging and refuge in TV shows. Why else do people watch television?

Fri
Intro to TV Writing: From First Draft to Getting Staffed (10:00am - Room 4) - I've worked on a spec for an original series last year. Maybe, there's a way to break in.
The Multiverse of David Dastmalchian (3:30pm - Room 5AB) - His scene-stealing turns in The Suicide Squad and the Ant-Man duology could not have prepared me for his article in Fangoria (#11). Wow. I just know he'll have some interesting stories.

Sat
Inside the Writers' Room: Zooming Back to the Room (10:00am - Room 24ABC) - Various showrunners dish about how the sausage is made...but I don't watch as much television now as I did then...at least, nothing I can point to as appointment television.
Cartoon Voices 1 (1:00pm - Room 6BCF) - Fun fact: this was initially on the first string schedule, but then I changed my mind; one of these panels should be enough, right?
Mobile Filmmaking: How to Make a Movie Using a Smartphone (1:45pm - Grand 6, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina) - I've had an iPhone for the last three years. Clearly, there's much that I need to learn.
Live Celebrity Game Show: Nerdy Match Game (6:30pm - Room 5AB) - First, there's no way in Hell I'm typing out that long-ass acronym. Second, this sounds like a neat twist on a classic.
Back with a Vengeance: Chucky (6:45pm - Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront) - Once I was past my initial issues (annoying characters, Brad Dourif's noticeably older voice), this was something of a blast. I'm definitely awaiting season two, especially with some of its promised guest stars.

Sun
Disney Classics Retold with a Twist (1:00pm - Room 24ABC) - A series of novels that pick up where the studio's animated movies leave off. Hands up: who'd like to see these on screen instead of remakes?
What We Do in the Shadows Exclusive Screening and Q&A (1:15pm - Hall H) - By Sunday, it may just be easier to get in than during the rest of the Con, which is just as well. I would brave most anything to watch this show.

Now, I may or may not be using SDCC as a canary to consider going back to Fan Expo Canada next month, but only time will tell.

The Man in the Brown Suit (Arthur B. Rubinstein)

 

An American tourist (Stephanie Zimbalist), looking for some excitement in her life, decides to extend her stay abroad, only to get wrapped up in a murder mystery. Somewhat cheesy, but entertaining made-for-TV movie, loosely based on an Agatha Christie novel (so much so that the book's actual protagonist - Miss Marple - is nowhere to be found).

Arthur B. Rubinstein's score is rich in flavor, ably reflecting the story's international travels, and buoyed by a swaying, four-note melody.

The Man in the Brown Suit
composed & conducted
by
Arthur B. Rubinstein

1. Ride Through Cairo (Murder!) 1.12
2. The Man in Blue 1.59
3. Dead Girl from the Picture 0.20
4. Breaking News 0.43
5. Pictures at Sea 0.36
6. Sir Eustace 1.05
7. Eustace Meets Race 0.18
8. Holding Out for a Hero 0.12
9. New Friends 0.34
10. Itinerary 1.34
11. Looking for a Man 1.28
12. Ransacked/Suspect List 3.35
13. Party source 1.24
14. Dance source 0.27
15. Prize source/Secret Meeting 1.10
16. Suzie in Danger 0.20
17. No Stewardesses 0.59
18. Expensive Development 0.48
19. The Show Must Go On 0.31
20. Starboard source/Overboard 0.34
21. Looking for Diamonds 0.48
22. Welcome to Mombasa 0.20
23. Diamonds Found/Bazaar source/Captured 2.28
24. Digging to Freedom 2.03
25. The Ledge 1.08
26. Escape! 0.30
27. Bazaar Chase 0.46
28. New Secretary 0.46
29. The Oasis 1.03
30. The Note 0.58
31. Water Falls 0.33
32. To the Rescue 0.48
33. Annie and Harry 1.48
34. Garden of Eden 0.24
35. No Peeking 0.38
36. The Race is Over 0.28
37. A Long Trip 0.40
38. Evil Eye 0.16

39. The Colonel 2.45

40. Anita's Demise 1.16

41. The Ol' Switcheroo 1.01
42. Showdown 1.09
43. Under Arrest 1.01
44. Who is Harry? 0.23
45. Lord and Lady 0.46
46. End Credits 1.00