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Today in my Livejournal: Cutting-room-floor segments from the Gaiman interview, which at 10,000 words was too bulky even for the website.
Today in my life: Slap this out, write a review, wrap up normal work, run downtown for a critics' screening of Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, run to the office, run home and write an overdue freelance review for Terry Pratchett's THUD! Busy, busy day. Let Neil entertain you during my absence. He has many things to talk about. Such as:
The A.V. Club: You and Dave McKean have been working together for nearly two decades. How has your partnership changed over that time?
Neil Gaiman: That's a pretty good question. When we got together and started working together, I would have been a 25-year-old journalist, and Dave would've been a 22, 23-year-old art student in his last year at Oxford. We both had this idea that we could do comics that would be art and would be really good as well. And that was really how we began. We liked each other's work, we liked each other, I was just really impressed by the way he thought through things. That was 20 years ago. We've been sort of very odd constants in each other's lives for 20 years. I don't think there's ever been a time when we weren't doing something together, or planning to do something together, except when I was off doing American Gods. Dave told me years ago that he wanted to do movies, so I said, "Okay, we'll make that happen," with naïve optimism. Then we got to wander around and start making money in the fields of Hollywood for about a decade. A lot of the time, my function on Mirrormask was almost to reassure Dave that what was happening was not particularly strange, and wasn't even particularly bad compared to what normally goes on out there.
AVC: How did Mirrormask come about?
NG: Mirrormask began when I got a phone call from Lisa Henson. I first met Lisa in 1991 when she was at Warner Brothers, and I went to see her about a Sandman movie. I went to her and said, "For God's sake, please don't do it. I'm still working on the comic, and it would make a mess of it." She said, "Really? Nobody's ever come into my office asking not to make a movie." I said "Please don't." And she said "Okay." Ever since then, I've had high esteem for Lisa.
So she phoned me up—by now, she was actually back at Henson and the family business. She said Sony had noticed that Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal—which were both considered huge flops back when they were made—have had this absolute indefinite shelf life on video and DVD. And you get generation after generation growing up with them. She said, "We'd like to make something like that. They've actually come to us and offered us some money to do a fantasy movie." I said, "That's cool." She said, "The downside is that those movies were made for about $40 million back in the '80s, and we've been offered $4 million now." And I said, "Oh, that's not very much money." But she said she'd been a fan of Dave McKean's short films N[eon] and The Week Before, and she knew he'd literally made them in his mum's barn. So she wanted to know if I thought Dave would be willing to direct. I said, "I don't know, but I could certainly ask him." And she said, "Well, obviously, with that kind of budget, we couldn't afford to have you write it." And I said, "No, but if Dave says yes to directing it, I'll be writing it, and we'll leave it at that."
So I found Dave and he said yes to directing it, which meant that I said yes to writing it, and then I had all these great big arguments with my lawyers and agents and people. They'd say "You can't write for Writer's Guild basic [pay]," and I'd say "Watch me." So Dave had a bunch of ideas and I had a bunch of ideas, and we knew it had to be something in whatever genre Labyrinth was in, because that's what we're being asked to do. That's what they put down the $4 million for.
In February 2002, we got together in the Henson home, which hadn't been redecorated or touched since Jim died. He'd died a decade earlier, so it hadn't actually been decorated since 20 years before that. It's this strange house which looks like it's come out of a time machine, with rotary-dial phones on the walls.
It took an enormous toll out of Dave and out of everything, especially because when we began, $4 million was 2.5 million pounds, and by the time we ended, it was only 2 million pounds. We'd lost half a million pounds—we'd essentially lost a million dollars out of the budget due to currency fluctuations. And Dave was in there every day for 18 months, shooting the film, then making it, supervising it, compositing it. Everything is like that because he wanted it to be. I occasionally felt useful. There was one point where I solved a problem—we moved a scene around because it didn't work—it sort of almost worked, and they sent me the DVD and I looked at it and phoned Dave up and said, "Do this, this and this." And he did, and suddenly it worked, and I felt very proud of myself. But mostly, it was so Dave, and it was so cool.
AVC: Have you found scripting for film and scripting for comics to be similar disciplines?
NG: No. They're very different.
AVC: How so?
NG: With comics, you can just wear more hats. You can be a lot more… If I'm writing a comic script, the odds are that it's a letter from me to the artist, and it's only really about the two of us, although it may be read by an editor and a letterer. And in movie terms, I'm going to be the scriptwriter, the director, and the editor. And in movie terms, the artist is going to be the cameraman and probably all of the actors. So it's filmmaking made very, very small. In film-script writing, you write something that's much, much faster. It's all action and dialogue.
It was really, really weird recently for me and Roger Avary, working on Beowulf for Bob Zemeckis. It's one of these CGI films, but all of a sudden, Bob started encouraging us to put camera movements in. Nobody ever tells you that—normally, you're specifically forbidden from suggesting something like, "This could be all one long shot, and it might be really cool to start over here and pull up through the chimney and back to the cave." Or to begin with the close-up of an eye, and pull back into the firelight. And that was great, I loved that Bob encouraged us to do that, and I loved the fact that we could.
AVC: Do you keep up on DC's Vertigo imprint at all? In a way, the whole imprint came out of Sandman, and there are still ongoing Sandman spin-offs. Do you maintain an interest in them, or feel a responsibility for them?
NG: I don't feel any responsibility. I maintain an interest in Vertigo just as I remain an interest in most comics. It's great if I'm finally home for a few months at a time, and I start getting caught up on everything. But the problem is, when I'm away, they send me comics. Everybody's lovely. Dark Horse, DC, and Marvel all send me stuff, which is wonderful. One day, they'll notice that I'm still on their comp list and take me off, but until then… The trouble is, I get back and they'll be boxes and boxes of comics, and suddenly it feels like work. At that point in time, I get terribly behind.
AVC: What do you do with all the books you don't read?
NG: Mostly these days, it goes into the basement and sits down there. Sometimes I drop them off with friends. I used to be pretty good about giving them to hospitals. There was a time when we had these cleaning ladies who were huge into Marvel and DC—they didn't like the Vertigo stuff, or anything complicated, they liked books about people hitting each other in funny costumes. So they used to take them. But mostly what they do is stack up. Then I get people who say, "Do you have anything approaching a summer job?" I say, "Yes, go through these boxes, put the comics in these long boxes." I think we have huge quantities of comics down in the basement. It can be very useful at times when I'm doing something like 1602. It's not just reading material, it's very much for reference; I can go and check stuff.
AVC: You're about to head out for another book tour now. How do you deal with so many marathon signings?
NG: I'm at the point where I hired a physical trainer two weeks ago. I used to laugh at people who hired physical trainers. I would snicker at them behind their backs. And I've now hired an incredibly nice guy named Mitch, who sort of looks like a Golden Age superhero, and he comes over three times a week with a variety of strange medieval instruments of torture, solely because I know that if I'm not in physical shape by the 20th of September, this thing's going to kill me.
AVC: Is there a training regimen for getting ready to sign a thousand books?
NG: No, it's more, there's ways to survive the signing of 3,000 things a night. Mostly, by the end of week two, you're going to be icing your hand. Mostly, I'm just trying to get in general physical shape. Because the last tour I did of Singapore, the Philippines, and Australia, by the end of it, I was completely trashed. I need to be in better shape if I'm going to survive this thing. So, I'll do the tour, and then I get two weeks off, which I'm going to spend on the set of Beowulfin Los Angeles. And then I go to England and do it all again. Although England will probably be much easier than America, because you can get places by train. And normally you don't get more than about 300 people outside of London, so it's all doable.
AVC: Your short story "The Problem Of Susan," about C.S. Lewis' Narnian character, has finally been published, though for years you said it could never see print because of the copyright issues. Did that turn out to be a problem in the end?
NG: Nobody's sued me. Some of it was trying to figure out how to craft the story so that C.S. Lewis' estate lawyer would say "I probably couldn't get an injunction against this. This is borderline, but you could probably get away with it." And I think that I probably did. I hope. It's a problem story. Every now and then, someone comes up to me and says "That was an enormously wonderful story," and other people get really offended by it. One woman described it as "blasphemous," which I loved, that a potshot at a fictional lion from a series of children's books could be seriously described as blasphemous. It's just one of those moments where you look at a children's book and there's a thing that sticks in your head and irritates you. I was amused to see an interview with J.K. Rowling in Time where she started going off about the problem of Susan again. It's the thing that sort of Philip Pullman hates about the books, though he hates the books and I love them. But that's the thing he focuses on most of all. So I was trying to write a story that would address that issue, and also the wider issue of how people relate to children's books and death. It is an intensely problematic story, and I don't actually know if it's any good.
AVC: It's a difficult story to interpret, because the original characters had such defined symbolic values, and it's hard to tell whether you're creating your own symbolism, or subverting C.S. Lewis'.
NG: And also the fact that when you start getting into it, is what part of the text actually belongs to which of the characters in it. And for that matter, quite literally, whether the Professor is meant to be seen as what Susan grew up to be, or is merely an interpretation. Mostly, it just seems to be a story that people either love, or it pisses them off. American Gods did that, which took me rather by surprise. I was so used to doing stuff that people either really liked, or didn't read. So for the first time with American Gods, I found I'd written something that people liked or hated. And the people who hated American Gods are absolutely articulate about why it never should've been published in the first place, why it's a book of astounding terribleness. And people who love it can similarly tell you why it's one the best books they've read in their whole life. Both points of view left me rather puzzled.
AVC: Because of the hyperbole?
NG: Partly the hyperbole factor, and partly because I didn't think I was writing the best book anyone would have read in their whole life. Nor did I think I was writing an incompetent heap of drivel. One sort of assumes one is writing something in between. I think the thing that got most interesting in regards to American Gods was that the people who hated it tended to have their own idea of how it should've gone. They'd start explaining that it was wrong, and then they'd explain the book that I should've written. Which again I thought was fascinating; it never occurred to me that someone would want to fix it. But that's one of the odd things about Anansi Boys. While I suspect people were hoping it would be another American Gods, big and serious and weird and deep, I just wanted to write something that would be funny—by definition light and enjoyable. While American Gods does an awful lot of things, it doesn't put a smile on people's faces all the way through, or leave them feeling better about themselves and the world at the end than they were at the beginning. It wasn't designed to do that, and it doesn't. And I hope that Anansi Boys does. That was definitely what I wanted it to do.
AVC: It's interesting that you've taken so much inspiration from other people's characters, and from folklore, myth, and tradition, and now your writings are inspiring other people to create their own versions of how your stories should go.
NG: Oh, I love that. I love the fact that I've now been doing this long enough that people come up and scare me by telling me that I was one of their inspirations, or they've been reading me since they were kids. I think that is both wonderful and terrifying, probably in more or less equal measure. I don't actually think of myself as having done this very long, And I don't think of myself as doing it long enough to be any good at it. I'm sort of figuring it all out And then suddenly you turn around and there's a new generation who is grateful for what you did. That, or they're rebelling against you. Which I hope we'll get a little bit more.
I'm-a feelin': rushed


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Want to get away from the crowd and stay somewhere unique in Bangkok? The Thai capital's growing collection of boutique hotels may provide you with the difference that makes your holiday even more special
Bangkok has some of the best hotels in the world, like The Oriental, The Peninsula and The Sukhothai, but it also has its fair share of soulless cookie-cutter big chain hotels too.
Fortunately there has been a trend in the last few years towards boutique hotels opening in Bangkok – individual hotels with only a few rooms, often family run, who offer a unique ambience and more intimate atmosphere. These range in price from upmarket backpacker to full on luxury, but they all offer something a bit different from the anonymous blandness of the big chain hotels.
Here's a run down of notable boutique hotels in Bangkok, along with links to reviews by previous guests on Tripadvisor.com. See also the dedicated Boutique Hotel Bangkok website which compares 20 of the best Bangkok boutique hotels and lets you book online.
Ariyasom Villa
A classic 1940s Thai home converted into an elegant hotel down a quiet soi of Bangkok's Sukhumvit Road, the real centre of the city. Period furniture and teakwood flooring retain the villa's original charm, while wireless internet and LCD screens keep it updated, along with spa and massage facilities. A good choice if you want to be in the heart of the action but be able to escape from it.
Chakrabongse Villas
Originally a residence of Thai royalty, Chakrabongse Villas is three separate apartments together on the banks of the Chao Phraya river. Tripadvisor reviews are generally positive of this venerable house.
Arun Residence
I've visited Arun Residence's lovely al fresco restaurant The Deck several times and would definitely recommend it. The hotel and restaurant sit on the bank of the Chao Phraya River, offering a perfect view of Wat Arun, one of Bangkok's most exquisite temples on the river's opposite side. Arun Residence gets lots of good reviews on Tripadvisor, and TIME magazine gave it a glowing write up
Phranakorn Nornlen
Also name checked by TIME, Phranakorn Nornlen is located in the historic old part of Bangkok near the backpacker haven of Khao San Road. It's been described as an upmarket hostel for those who want a bit more comfort without breaking the bank. It's also very near to Wat Intharawihan with its 32 metre high Buddha! You can read Tripadvisor reviews of Phranakorn Nornlen for guest opinions.
Ibrik By The River and Ibrik in the City
Two different boutique hotels, one located on the river and the other in Bangkok's business district. Ibrik By The River only has 3 rooms and gets rave reviews on Tripadvisor. The same page also gives a solitary thumbs up for the City branch too.
The Eugenia
Located in a quiet residential area a few minutes away from Sukhumvit, Bangkok's answer to 5th Avenue, The Eugenia already has a reputation for excellent service and a colonial feel, exacerbated by the animal skins hanging from many of the walls. Nothing but compliments on The Eugenia Tripadvisor reviews
The Old Bangkok Inn
Perhaps the most famous of Bangkok's boutique hotels, The Old Bangkok Inn was showcased in TIME magazine a few years ago and has continued to polarise customer opinion according to the Old Bangkok Inn Tripadvisor reviews. The dark teak wood, odd shaped rooms and general elderliness of the building are not for everyone, and some have complained of allergy problems – however, the Inn still has plenty of admirers too, especially for the owner's attentive service.
You might also want to check out LUXX Place, a hyper modern smallish hotel that offers boutique minimal surroundings with luxury service – it gets lots of complimentary guest reviews. Also in the contemporary minimal style are Bangkok's Metropolitan Hotel, Dream BKK, Siam@Siam and the Millennium Hilton, uber chic designer hotels that aren't boutique sized but are still have a unique edge to them.

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The social organization of adult blue tangs, Acanthurus coeruleus, on a fringing reef, Barbados, West Indies
Blue tangs in Barbados exhibit three distinct social modes: territorial, schooling and wandering. We compared the mobility, foraging, aggression performed and received and the use of cleaning stations of adult blue tangs among modes and among habitats within a single fringing reef in Barbados. Evidence from observed switches during focal observations and multiple observations of tagged individuals indicate that fish are either territorial or non-territorial. Non-territorial fish formed schools and wandered. However, wandering can be used during solitary movements by fish in either type. Fish in the territorial mode, not previously described in adults of this species, restricted activity to a small area overlapping the territories of other tangs. They actively chased conspecifics and were chased mostly by damselfishes. They swam more slowly and fed at higher rates than other modes. Fish in the schooling mode ranged widely in compact, polarized groups of conspecifics, congeners and other species. They were not aggressive and were attacked mostly by damselfishes. They swam rapidly and fed at intermediate rates. Fish in the wanderer mode showed neither aggression nor association with other individuals. They swam rapidly, well above the substrate, fed little, were chased by conspecifics, ocean surgeonfish, A. bahianus, and damselfish and visited cleaning stations more often then other modes. All three modes were observed in all four main zones of the reef, and their behaviour changed quantitatively with habitat type. We suggest that territoriality reduces competition for algal food, schooling allows fish to overcome the food defence by damselfish, tangs and ocean surgeonfish, and wandering permits solitary movement over the reef to cleaning stations, feeding sites and other resources.


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This might be a ignorant question, but I'm going to ask anyway....Can you convert a VTX from a shaft drive to a belt drive? (Please keep the laughter down please!)
This might be a ignorant question, but I'm going to ask anyway....Can you convert a VTX from a shaft drive to a belt drive? (Please keep the laughter down please!)
Hmmm , think I will pass on this one.... I do know where you can buy belt drive bikes though...
You could, but it would be a major mod.
Tranny/crosshaft would have to be modified to accept a pully, as would the rear hub/wheel and the driveshaft is part of the swingarm so you would need a new/modified swingarm.
Why? shaft drives are more reliable. Why would you want that insecurity,trouble and burden.. *If you want that problems there is another brand out there and your local pharmacist can supply you with some headache pain relief.*
That question has been asked a few times here. I did some searching and the closest thing I could find is this link http://www.scootworks.com/swinfo.html it doesn't mention a kit for the VTX but you can email him and see if you get a reply.
Belts are smoother and loose less HP than shaft drive, and belt drives these days are very reliable.
However I would not convert my X to one.
Thank you for the insight. Belt drives are ugly in my opinion, but more effient on delivery of power. I know the other brand has a 100k warranty on their belts. Was just thinking out loud. Was really wondering if some company made a kit that I could not find on the internet, but sounds like that is not the case. Thanks again for all of you that replied.
I would have thought they were slower to deliver power than the shaft, as they stretch when throttled hard... hmm... I need to learn more.
I saw a vtx with a chain drive once. Now that will deliver power.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
to make the power from the engine to the final drive...on a VTX..power must change direction 2 times...power lost...plus the final drive friction...power lost...
current belt drives...like chain drives...power from transmission to rear wheel do not change direction...and NO final drive gears...
but to change the VTX...transmission and Case and frame and rear swingarm and rear wheel will ALL need to be changed or something NEW MADE...Big money and time
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BWW Interviews: Francia Raisa & WWE's Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin Chat ABC Family's CHRISTMAS BOUNTY
Francia Raisa and WWE Superstar Mike "The Miz" Mizanin will star ABC Family's CHRISTMAS BOUNTY during the Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas. This week, the stars spoke about the exciting holiday special, premiering this Tuesday, November 26 at 7/6c!
What was it that initially drew you to this role?
Mike "The Miz": With WWE it's theater, it's live, you're in front of a live audience, you only get one take. If you mess up the entire world is going to see it and are either going to boo you or cheer you at that moment.
However, acting in a movie -- you don't get that initial reaction and you don't get that live audience feel. Doing a movie is a lot nicer on my body. I just got back from Europe for WWE -- we did a European tour for 14 days of constant wrestling, so my body's tired, my mind's tired. When you're shooting a movie it's exhausting in a different way, where you're mentally going at it and you don't get that much sleep. But I do enjoy movies. I do enjoy WWE. I enjoy them both the same. They're a lot different, and they're also very similar.
I'm really excited about Christmas Bounty premiering on November 26, because the cast just got along so well. It's not every day that you get to enjoy such a close-knit cast. Every time we were done with a shoot we would all go sit and just talk. I think you'll see that closeness and that bond that we all had and that love for each other in Christmas Bounty. I think when a cast becomes close you can really see that they enjoy working with each other, and I think we all really had a pleasure working on Christmas Bounty.
Francia: I agree! Coming off of The Secret Life of the American Teenager I am not used to doing any sort of action. This was my first time doing action scenes on camera. I did grow up doing martial arts. So, I was intimated to work with Mike, because he is a wrestler and has done this for a long time. But he was really welcoming and really encouraging. In Secret Life it was very "go, go, go, go", because TV tends to have more time. It was a lot of fun and we were able to pick it up really well.
Like Mike said, we all really enjoyed working with each other; we became a family, we definitely bonded. We are genuine friends, so it's definitely going to show on camera. I'm just as excited, because we just watched the movie and you could just tell that there was so much chemistry between all of us!
It was definitely a transition, just because I hadn't done film in a while, but I was really happy to know that this was the first project that I was going to do outside of Secret Life and TV.
Did either of you spend any time with bounty hunters to learn stunts for the role?
Mike "The Miz": I definitely watched Dog the Bounty Hunter leading up to doing this role, just checking out exactly what bounty hunters do. So that was the extent of what we did. The casting process was put together fairly quickly, so there wasn't an excess of time where you could find a bounty hunter and talk to him.
Francia: It happened so fast; I found out on a Sunday and I was a plane by Wednesday. So my research was with the director and my cast. I did watch The Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Aniston!
What was your most memorable moment from filming?
Mike "The Miz": My most memorable moment is one having to do with Francia. I'm so glad I got to be with her in this movie because she taught me a lot on the acting realm and was a constant professional. But there was one day where she was trying to do this savate kick for the movie. And let me tell you something, I can't even do a savate kick. I'm the type of person that likes to give people a hard time, and I enjoy doing little pranks, if you will. If I see someone getting a little aroused I have to keep pushing that button. So I kept pushing it and at one point she was like, "You have to give me a moment!"
So I gave her a moment, and she did the savate kick and it was literally the most perfect kick. I think I'm going to take credit for her savate kick, because of the energy that I gave her during that moment.
Francia: That made me so mad, haha! That was a pretty memorable moment for me.
Mike "The Miz" Another memorable moment for me was that I had my first on-screen kiss.
Francia Oh yes! I was really excited about that!
Mike "The Miz": I've been on TV for a while and I never had a movie or TV series where I've had a kiss with another actress, so this was my first time. I guess you could say I was pretty nervous about it, because I didn't know what the rules were. I just went for it, and I think it was Francia's best kiss she's ever had on screen, to be completely honest with you. I mean I'm a really good kisser. You can ask my fiancé!
What traditions or rituals do you have for the holidays?
Francia: I like to cook a lot, so I'm really excited to cook next week for Thanksgiving. I'm the only one doing it, so I will be up bright and early. Other than that, I like to sleep and watch Christmas movies. This year I will have my entire family watch Christmas Bounty over and over again!
Mike "The Miz": I don't know how to cook. If you asked me to cook you macaroni and cheese I could get you that, maybe a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, so you definitely don't want me cooking.
Normally WWE has Survivor series on pay-per-view right around Thanksgiving, which is happening this Sunday. Then I fly to my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, which is my hometown. I celebrate a day that I call "Miz Fest", which is every Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I rent a school bus and I bring about 60 of my high school friends-- yes I said high school -- I basically bring them all on the school bus and we just have a blast through the entire city of Cleveland.
The next day my family goes over to my aunt's house for Thanksgiving. We eat my aunt's dry turkey and her other food that she usually cooks. I've never seen someone try so hard to cook great food and still cannot do it well. So my Aunt Lynn isn't the best cook, but you have to give her an A for effort.
During Christmas, I always love the Christmas movies. I love Christmas Vacation, I love Elf, and now I'm going to be watching Christmas Bounty. I'm actually having a little viewing party on Tuesday over at my friend's house in Cleveland, and I think everyone's going to really enjoy Christmas Bounty, because there's something for everyone. It's not just for girls, it's not just for guys, it's not old people, young people, it's everybody; there is something for everyone. If you like comedy, if you like drama, if you like romance, if you like a little action, guess what, you're going to get it all in Christmas Bounty, and it's going to show that true holiday spirit.
What should fans expect while tuning in to Christmas Bounty?
Mike "The Miz": It's one of those feel good movies! I think everyone watches their special Christmastime movies. This is a movie that's going to be right up there with all the other ones. I think people are going to really watch, and when they're done watching this movie they're going to come away with a smile on their face, they're going to cuddle with their loved ones a little closer. I think it's just one of those movies that will stand the test of time, and I think people will be shocked to see how great it truly is.
Francia: I agree! It's just one of those feel good movies that you enjoy watching, and you take yourself away from reality a bit and you tap into someone else's happiness, and you're around your loved ones and you're cozied up in your house. It's one of those movies that's a perfect ending to your night.
Mike "The Miz": Here's what I want everyone to do on Tuesday night. I want you to get some popcorn, I want you to get your most comfy clothes on, I want you to snuggle with one another, and I guarantee you by the end of that movie you guys are going to look in each other's eyes and say, "I love you."
Can you give a brief synopsis of your characters and Christmas Bounty?
Mike "The Miz": Christmas Bounty is a movie about Tory Bell, played by the lovely, gorgeous Francia, who does an amazing job. Tory Bell is from New Jersey, she has a New Jersey family, she's raised there, and her family is all bounty hunters. Francia's character wants to get out of that life. She moves to New York City, becomes a school teacher, is living the average, ordinary, everyday life like everybody else. She meets a new guy, who's played by Will Greenberg. She has this new life.
Tory has to come back to New Jersey with her bounty hunters to protect her family, and her new fiancé tags along to meet the family. The family is very eccentric; it's very loud, it's very New Jersey. My character is the ex-boyfriend who is a bounty hunter with her, and we basically have to find the bad guy before he finds us.
There could be a love triangle. You're going to have to tune in at 7:00/6:00 Central this Tuesday, November 26th to check it out.
What preparations did you have to take to make it work between the two of your characters?
Francia: We met on set! I was working as an actress on Secret Life. I've been training my entire life for something like this. As I mentioned earlier, I did martial arts for ten years.
I think we both just came in with an open mind. We both just wanted to just make a great project, we both were really passionate about the script, we both loved the script, and there was no reason to not get along. Mike's a great guy and he has a great outlook on work, his work ethic is incredible, and he was really trying to make this character great. He was really into learning how to get in deeper with the character and not just have very surface choices. I really wanted to make it look great when it came to fighting, so we worked together to make sure that happened.
I can see us being friends for a lifetime, but we've only known each other a few months! I'm really grateful that he's in my life, even though he gives me a hard time sometimes, but he's like a big brother to me.
Mike "The Miz": Aw, me too! It was an instant connection between the entire cast; we all just clicked, and it's not every day you get that, to be completely honest with you. I've been on TV shows where people don't like each other, but they have to work with one another. This couldn't be more opposite; everyone was truly likeable, everyone liked each other and wanted to be around each other. Some people would come to set during their off days just to hang out with one another because we were such a close-knit group.
To prepare for this movie I think The Real World got me comfortable in front of cameras, and then the WWE got me comfortable in front of a live audience and theater. I've also done acting coaches, I've done Improv Olympics, so to prepare for this movie I got involved with my acting coach and then just listened.
Whenever I do a movie I always like to base my character off of a couple different characters. When I was in Marine 3: Homefront I went with the Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis type of theme. With this one, since Gil did 10 Things I Hate About You I watched some of his movies and his work. Heath Ledger was in 10 Things I Hate About You and really connected with me with this kind of character. I took that realm and brought it to Christmas Bounty.
Gil is a tremendous director, and did a great job with the entire cast. He made everyone look great and be at their best, and created such an ease on set that you can feel.
Francia: I think we all had the same goal coming into this project, and I think it really shows on camera and it really created a bond between all of us. That's what's important with every cast -- having the same goal to get to the end result. No one was trying to be the star, no one was trying to stand out more. We all really just wanted to work together.
Could you talk about where Christmas Bounty was filmed?
Francia: We were on location in Vancouver at a house. I loved it out there -- We had so much fun! We were at a mall at one point; that was fun. We both live in LA right now, so we had to leave our home.
It was raining a lot, but the weather did not disagree with us at all times. There was a day where we needed to shoot outside and we could not afford to have rain, and it did not start raining until we stopped shooting and we were done for the day. It's a great city. I loved it out there.


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Faculty-Directed Programs
Internationalize your campus, deepen the teaching and learning in your courses, and meet institutional requirements through a Faculty-Directed program at one of IPSL's program locations abroad.
Examples of Faculty-Directed Programs Designed with IPSL
IPSL, in collaboration with partner institutions, has created a broad range of faculty-directed programs at our international program locations. IPSL assists with curriculum development and with cross-faculty collaboration between U.S. and partner faculty abroad. Examples include...
- Spanish Language and Caribbean Studies in Cartagena, COLOMBIA (ten days)
- Health and Social Policy in Port Elizabeth, SOUTH AFRICA (two weeks)
- Alternative Medicine and Therapies for Well-Being, Jerusalem, ISRAEL (two weeks)
Benefits include:
- Logistics Planning (Itinerary, Budget, Insurance, everything)
- Assistance with Curriculum Development
- Cross-Faculty Collaboration between U.S. faculty and IPSL faculty abroad
- NGO / Nonprofit relationships on the ground
- Infrastructure on which to scaffold your own program ideas
- Flexible program durations and locations available most times of the year
- Connecting with communities that are open and eager to work with you for the common good
Call or email IPSL for further information.