Brad's Soap Box

Photo by donabelandewen@Flickr

Before I write this diatribe, I have to make an admission. I love Damon Lindelof. He’s one of the best writers in Hollywood (LOST, Prometheus, Star Trek 12). He’s uber-talented, and if I were gay, I would be all over him like Rush Limbaugh at the douchebag convention’s all-you-can-eat buffet. So, it’s with love that I write this, and if Damon Lindelof ever reads the rest of this post, I need him to know a few things about me.

1. Despite what I am about to write, I am not an ass-hat.
2. I thought the LOST finale was the perfect way to end the show. Unlike others, I got it.
3. There is no No. 3, but I wanted to just emphasize that I’m not an ass-hat.

People in Hollywood involved with major blockbusters are quick to make everyone working on the project sign non-disclosure agreements, commonly referred to as an NDA. The idea is that if everyone keeps their mouths shut, more people will go see the film to discover whatever the big secret is.

In the case of the next Star Trek sequel, which is set for release in May 2013, everyone working on the film had to sign an NDA. I know this for two reasons. First, the cast and crew is very open about the fact that they signed the NDAs. Second, I’ve independently verified this with a friend who I know is working on the set.

So, about a week ago, this photo is leaked on the Internet. According to MTV.com, the photo shows Zachary Quinto battling Benedict Cumberbatch on the Trek sequel’s set.

Benign enough, right? It’s clearly Quinto as Spock, and barring any real confirmation from anyone, it’s safe to assume that any other big name star is either the villain or a sidekick that moves the narrative along. Let’s guess villain based on this photo of Cumberbatch.

In this case, Cumberbatch has been rumored to play any number of characters from the Trek universe – all of them bad.

Armed with the release of this leaked set photo, producer and writer Lindelof took to Twitter.

Read more…

When I was in high school, I got a job at the local movie theater during my junior year. It was a pretty sweet deal. They would pay me $4.25 an hour, and I would come home smelling like popcorn… ALL THE TIME!

It was a Cinemark theater, and I had to wear green fluorescent suspenders over a white dress shirt, matching green bow tie (a fake, of course), and black pants. When I worked concession, which everybody does at first, I had to wear a heavy plastic apron that felt like linoleum. Covering the apron was a bunch of Cinemark artwork featuring Front Row Joe. Follow the link… you’ll be sad you did.

I had my first girlfriend in my junior year. Our first date was to go see “Wayne’s World” (Excellent). That petered out somewhere around “the day after prom.” I was pretty down about it, but at least I was making massive bank at the Cinemark. You know, $4.25 in 1992 is about $35 in 2012 currency.

Summer is the busy season at the movies, and 1992 was no different. College folks were coming back home, and some of them would come to work at the theater. That’s when I met Julie Byars. We both worked in the concession, and, like me, she was lured to the Cinemark with the prospect of $4.25 an hour and free movie passes.

There was something about this college girl, who had just finished her first year, that struck me as awesome. To this day, I can’t tell you what it was, but I was clearly smitten. I had never blown off curfew for any reason whatsoever. That’s mostly due to how hum-drum things were back then for me. For her, though, I willingly blew off curfew three times. Sorry, mom. Read more…