Stranger Things Have Happened

What a better way to launch Stranger Things Studios’ new YouTube channel than with the namesake video concept that started this all? 

It’s random, it’s nonsensical, it has ninjas, a pirate, and a 52” teddy bear.  The only thing that links it together is the title, “Stranger Things Have Happened.”

Oh, and a guy gets chased down by a monster with a sword.  There’s that, too.

The No-Shame Six-Pack

After hosting a party, do you ever find yourself in possession of more beer than you’re going to drink anytime soon?  Or worse, beer you don’t even like?  Me, too!  That, good friends, is why I propose the “No-Shame Six-Pack.” 

According to proper party etiquette, if you bring beer to a social event, you are to leave the remainder behind for the host.  People are looked down upon as a stingy if they gather up the last few bottles and take off. 

Ashes of Man: Outtakes

Ashes of Man would not be complete without some form of behind-the-scenes video. 

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of that kind of footage taken.  Nor was I inclined to create any new material to accompany what footage we had.  Not that it wouldn’t have been fun to have gotten commentary from the various cast and crew, but after eight months of working on Ashes I do not want to spend any more time rehashing the material all over again.  It’s time to move on to something new.

There were, however, plenty of mistakes: 35+ minutes of mistakes, to be precise.  I compressed it down to under ten minutes to make it more digestible.  Some of it was only funny to us; some required more context than the clips themselves provided; still others were redundant.  What remains is the best of the best.  I hope you enjoy the gag reel.

Dor-Bear

It occurred to me that even though she’s been in our lives for almost a year now, I’ve never talked about Dora.  I think it’s high-time to introduce the lovely lady.

Meet Dora.  Dora is a two-and-a-half year old Rottweiler/Black Lab mix.  Originally from Georgia, she was moved to a shelter up here in Minnesota to get away from the bugs that kept giving her heart worm.

Watch for the Signs

STOP Dinosaurs...?

We’ve all seen the signs.  We all know what they mean.  STOP.  I’m sure no one really looks at them outside of noticing that they’re there.  That’s why the STOP signs at the 4-way stop by the fire department in my town have remained altered.  Hell, I don’t even know how long they’ve been that way.  I’d say vandalized, but that’s too harsh of a word.  “Decorated.”  

Teddy Bears & Voodoo Dolls

"But what do baby bears sleep with?"

What do teddy bears sleep with?  After all,  us humans made teddy bears for us to sleep with.  What did teddy bears cuddle up with when they were little to make themselves feel safe and warm?

I posed this question recently online.  The one response I received that stuck with me was simply put:  Humans.  We sleep with teddy bears, so obviously they are sleeping with us.  I guess that’s simple enough.

I rethought the core of my question.  We humans have fashioned stuff animals to resemble bears so that we can cuddle with them at night as children.  We call them teddy bears.  

So, really what I meant to ask was, “Does that mean that baby bears cuddle with little stuffed animals that resemble humans?”  Maybe they call them "teddy men." 

Snooze Me

There are a few fundamental things that I need in life; like eating.  I love eating.  I love good food.  I also love… um, let’s skip that one.

More importantly (believe it or not) is sleep.  I love to sleep.  I love how amazing I feel after a recharging night’s rest.  Nothing compares to going to sleep with a migraine, and waking up free of that pain.  The peace and comfort you find yourself in, nestled in the softness of your mattress, with the tension in your body gone is absolutely heavenly.

Yet, as much as I love my sleep, the need to be an active and productive human being outweighs everything else in my life. 

Jigsaw Karma

It all started New Years Eve 198X.  Everyone has their traditions for the holiday.  Most people gather in large parties and clubs to celebrate with champagne and music and friends.  

In my household growing up we built a puzzle - the entire thing - all in one night.  Then we went to bed.

HOW I BUILT A PUZZLE AS A KID:

Lick the Dream Storm

My last blog-post explained a fun way to make a poem by writing something and then letting an online translator chew it up.  As promised, I did the exercise myself, and got two awesome poems out of it.  Here ya go!

Everyone's a Poet Now!

I don’t like poetry.  I find people’s poems to be self-indulgent, emo, horribly vague and deliberately cryptic.  If you want to tell us how you feel, just say it.

Now, if you want to write an awesome poem that everyone will love, here’s a fun exercise.  Don’t think you know the first thing about writing at all?  Trust me, you can do this. 

Prometheus

I don’t remember exactly how this all came about.  Awhile back I was contacted by a man named Michael Fassbender and asked if I was interested in being a part of a paid film studio internship. 

I don’t know what put my name on the radar; maybe my technical theater and creative writing on my Macalester College transcript; or the manuscript I had submitted to various publishers over the last two years; or hell, even this blog and my YouTube channel.  Regardless, my name, portfolio, and passion for film and story creation caught their attention.

Fallout 3: End Game

Welcome to the final installment of Fallout Week.

I didn’t originally plan to write this last post, but it occurred to me that telling how my unique Fallout 3 misadventure ended is probably an expected (and logical) conclusion to this blog series.

*WARNING: SPOILERS*

Fallout 3: Tenpenny Tower

Welcome back to Fallout Week, where I use Fallout 3 experiences to demonstrate my moral failings.

As if causing the nuclear destruction of the small civilization of Megaton wasn’t enough of a character flaw!  I attempted to turn over a new leaf, and begin a new, proper, pious life in the safe haven known as Tenpenny Tower.

*WARNING: SPOILERS*

Fallout 3: Megaton

Welcome back to Fallout Week, where I tell you stories of how I dealt with the events of the video game Fallout 3 as though I was there.

Today we visit Megaton!

*WARNING: SPOILERS*

Fallout Week

Fallout 3 is one of the most revered video games of this console generation.  It is a first-person shooter that takes place decades after World War III has turned the planet into a nuclear wasteland.  Many gamers love the vastness of world because if you’re not careful you can easily dump 70+ hours into the game aimlessly meandering the devastation.  Hell, that’s what I did.

This game showed me just how warped and scarred my moral core is.  Fallout 3 is one of those games that is not linear.  You have choices.  Your words and your actions all have ramifications.  Everything you do changes the outcome of the game.  Knowing this, I determined to play the game as though my character was actually me…

So, what would JonnyDStrong do? (WWJDSD?... Hmm, I like it.)

What I found out about myself was both amusing and disturbing…

Zombie Toons

I imagine that if the zombie apocalypse hit the Warner’s movie lot, it would sound something like this:

ONSET

“Gee Brain, what are we going to do tonight?”

“The same thing we do every night, Pinky: try to take over the world!”

Monthly Scoop: April 2012

I don’t really have much to say for the Monthly Scoop this time around.

So instead I’ll just leave you with this funny picture.

The Nerdist Podcast LIVE

Anyone who has followed the JonnyD Weekly for even two weeks knows how excited I was to find out that the Nerdist Podcast was performing a live show at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis.  People who actually know me have suffered the privilege of hearing about it since I bought my tickets back in November.  For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, Hi, welcome to the JonnyD Weekly.  You may what to skim these first:

JonnyD Weekly #60 - Star Stuck 1: James Earl Jones

JonnyD Weekly #55 - My Podcasts

The show was awesome!  You will not hear me say otherwise.  Each of the guys started out with a short comedy set: Matt Mira, Jonah Ray, and then Chris Hardwick.  Afterwards they all came out and did a live podcast on the stage, took a few questions and comments, and then set up for a meet and greet after the show.

Meeting someone you’re a fan of is kind of like trying to make an impression on that really cute girl at your school that is way out of your league.  You’re going to try anyways, even though you know you’re going to shame and soil yourself, but that’s hormones for you.  

Beware the Tooth Fairy

*NOT FOR KIDS*

For some reason, the last thing I still believed in as a kid was the Tooth Fairy.  I understood how Santa worked, but for the life of me I could not understand how my mom could possibly steal the tooth from under my pillow without waking me up.  There’s no way.  It had to be some mystical creature.

I was determined to catch this babe... or my mom, I guess... in action and put this whole matter to rest once and for all!

The next time I lost a tooth, I gave myself a pep talk, telling myself that I was only going to be a light sleeper that night.  Ha ha ha…that didn’t work.  I sleep through sirens, barking dogs, the alarm going off, the apocalypse, thunderstorms, seismic activity.  It’s amazing I make it to work on time every morning. 

Ashes of Man: Winter Sets

After an intense combat sequence that took a solid 8.5 hours of filming in single-digit temperatures, we have finished filming the winter unit of our movie, Ashes of Man.  It has been quite a ride.  I wish I could tell you guys everything, but there are so many stories.

The first set we filmed was a learning experience for me, let me tell you!  Yes, I’ve made some YouTube films before, but I’ve never really had to work with anyone outside of a few helpers.  This first set was the first time I had to learn to man up and tell people what to do, actually direct them.  I did a bad job; that was to be expected.  Yet, I think I’ve gotten a lot better at this whole thing.

But it all worked out, and we had a good time, and that’s all that matters.  And I've learned a lot, for example: