Peter Jackson Officially Attached to the Hobbit!

Anyone who is a "Lord of the Rings" fan has been wishing for this: That Peter Jackson would make up with New line Cinema, and both realize that there is another mountain of money just waiting to pour into their pockets, if they made a film based on LOTR's prequel novel, "The Hobbit".

It's based on hobbit Bilbo Baggins' adventures and the finding of the "one ring". The ring plays a key role, but the true story is about the transformation of Bilbo from comfortable hobbit to gutsy pseudo-outlaw.

Here are some excerpts from the press release:
* MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, “The Hobbit” and a sequel to “The Hobbit.” New Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.

* Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on “The Hobbit.” New Line will manage the production of the films, which will be shot simultaneously.

* Peter Jackson and New Line have settled all litigation relating to the “Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) Trilogy.

Said Peter Jackson, “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth. I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us find the common ground necessary to continue that journey.”

“Peter Jackson has proven himself as the filmmaker who can bring the extraordinary imagination of Tolkien to life and we full heartedly agree with the fans worldwide who know he should be making ‘The Hobbit,’” said Sloan, MGM’s Chairman and CEO. “Now that we are all in agreement on ‘The Hobbit,’ we can focus on assembling the production team that will capture this phenomenal tale on film.”

Click on this map for a larger view:
You can read about it in full at "The Hobbit Blog".

Canyon Riding

I have a couple of months (and about 1,300 miles) behind me on my motorcycle now. It's been a vast education to say the least, but I have had some great experiences. (The pic above is overlooking the Bouquet Reservoir)

I'd have to say that my favorite times so far have all happened on my canyon joy-rides. There's such a good feeling that accompanies winding around the twisting roads through the mountains and around the lakes, etc. It is definitely giving me more appreciation for California, as these roads are plentiful, very well maintained, and usually uncrowded.


Today I rode a new one (to me anyway). Little Tujunga Canyon Road was built in the 30's, and may be the perfect canyon road. Clicking on the link will take you to pashnit.com's page on this paradise of a moto-ride. The author of the article said it best; "If God had a motorcycle, He'd be here." I believe it after riding this road today. Maybe by viewing the photos, you can imagine why.

I don't know how I lucked out so well today, but I went several minutes at a time without seeing another soul on the road, in either direction. During my entire time on the canyon road, I maybe encountered a dozen vehicles. The road is almost 20 miles long.

In Southern California, that has to be a miracle. I just decided to savor it, because such a miracle may never happen again. (Little Tujunga pics stolen from pashnit.com)


This canyon riding thing is becoming a true passion.

Dallas - Season 7 - The Chana Episodes

Dallas season 7 was finally released on DVD this past summer. Chana played the character "Dee" (a girl interested in Christopher Atkins' character "Peter") for three episodes.


Chana always downplays her role on the show, but sometimes I think she's forgotten what a big deal the show was back then. It was much bigger than "Heroes" or "Lost" are today, and I still remember her in the show, even though her role was small. (yes, I watched Dallas - I had to, I lived in "Big D" at the time - they had pop quizzes in school the next day)

Here's a short scene I posted to YouTube. If only all 'soap opera' type shows could be this short. (I think you'll notice that men's swimsuit fashion has come a long way since then.)



Her credit is as "Chana Vowell", so it's before I came along and took her away from all that inevitable fame and fortune. (Obviously, I tinkered with the end credits; she didn't really make the whole show by herself.)

Drumming For A Lifetime pt.9

Here's a video of the Dallas-based band I occasionally play with. We used to be known as 'The Calling', but that was 20 years ago, then we broke up. In the late 80's, we had a pretty decent following in the Texas and Oklahoma region.

A year or so ago, we started playing together again, but the name 'The Calling' had been used by a flash-in-the-pan group a few years ago, so we couldn't use it again. The never-ending struggle to rename the band has plagued us for a year, so we just ignore people when they ask, and turn up the amps. One day, we'll agree on a new moniker.

This is a song called "Time Passes", and I think it's not a bad rendition of it, considering what you're hearing is a dry feed from the mixing console.

We had four cameras shooting that night, but they had no game-plan. It took a while to sort out the footage and come up with a good edit of the song. Oh, fyi, Micah (my oldest) ran lights for us that night, but unfortunately the available lighting he had to work with was a disaster.

Here it is, enjoy.

Time To Catch Up

Wow, it's been a long time away from blogging, and if you're still coming by, thanks!

A lot has been happening over the last 6 weeks or so, so let's get to it.


I am now a motorcycle rider. I have been researching this world for several months now, and I finally took my Motorcycle Safety Course and got my license. A month ago I bought a bike. After much hemming and hawing, I went with the Suzuki DL650. It's a great bike for commuting and can go on dirt roads too.


You know you want one.

Speaking of biking, thanks to my friend Jason, I was able to take Micah out dirt biking for his 15th birthday. We were both smitten, and we've vowed to go back soon.



We also took the kids to the El Capitan to see the recently refurbished "Jungle Book", set up by our friend Brenda. On the way to the theater, we met up with The Batman and Super Girl. (I love how McKenna is in her Super Girl pose.)



I took this at a nearby park we frequent. It might have to go on an album cover sometime. Or... not, but it's cool.



Oh, and it rained once. Weird.



And last but definitely not least, Micah made this for his youth pastor Steve for Christmas. Micah has a couple snakes and a lizard. Steve has a problem with reptiles, so Micah gave him this thoughtful gift. Kinda creepy, but I also think it's brilliant.

Inspiration For Pushing The Human Race Forward

About 7-8 years ago, Apple came out with the ad campaign "Think Different". You may remember it. I didn't think much of it (positive or negative) when I saw it at first.

But, in the summer of 2001, we were preparing to move from Tulsa, OK to Los Angeles - a risky move with a full-sized family.

I needed inspiration; I needed motivation. During that summer before moving, I again saw this ad, and the words grabbed me in a new way.

At that time, I needed to hear that doing something out of the ordinary was OK; that doing something risky was not just acceptable, but necessary for me to reach into the depths of my potential. Some people can reach their potential living in one place for their whole lives, but I needed a new environment.

I was fortunate to have a wife in Chana, that was right there with me, dreaming, scheming, praying and planning. If we weren't aligned, I don't think I could've or would've base-jumped into the unknown that is LA.

Here's the text of the ad:


Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They push the human race forward.
And while some see them as the crazy ones,
We see genius.
Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world,
Are the ones who do.

Click here to see the ad on YouTube.

Click here to see an alternate (and creative) version of the ad.

Sometimes it's easy to forget all of the little links in the chain that helped take you from point A to B, and I had forgotten about this one. I'm glad to revisit it now, 'cause it still inspires me.

Think different my friends.

And think big.

California is a Great Place to Live

I really do think that California is a great place to live, but for every wonderful thing about it, there are a few hazards too. Earthquakes, mudslides and the fires, and those are just some of the natural ones.

Thank God for the thousands of great firefighters that have worked tirelessly so save what they can. I know that they saved our home on Monday for a start.

According to the reports on TV Sunday evening, one of the fires several miles away had hopped many ridges among the hills and canyons because of the crazy winds, and the reports started mentioning evacuations and roads I knew to be in our neighborhood.

The "Agua Dulce" fire (which started very close to my sister Terri's place Sunday) - moved several miles and became the "Canyon Country", aka the "Buckweed" fire. The "Buckweed" fire now bordered on Saugus (our community) and came within about 1/4 mile of our house, as the crow flies.

We have a mountain (okay, it's a really big hill) right behind our house, and I was getting curious about how close the danger was getting to us.

So Sunday evening, I decided to climb to the top just before dark to check it out for myself.

WARNING: If you ever decide to climb anything during 70mph gusts of wind, you're stupid.

I'm stupid.

After almost getting blown off the hill several times as if I had the mass of a sheet of paper, I finally made it to the top and had a terrific view of the flames, that were at this point within a half mile from us. I tried to get some phone-camera pictures, but they don't do it justice.

Here's the fire just two ridges away:


This is the view from the opposite direction at the same time. This is of the "Castaic" or "Ranch" fire about 6 miles away, and on Monday, the fire crews feared these two merging. We were one block from being evacuated. (many of our friends were evacuated though)


By late Monday - early Tuesday, it was looking much better in our immediate area, thanks to the fire crews. This is a picture I took a couple days later. It's hard to tell, but the dot between the trees is the sun, and because of the stuff in the air, it was glowing a nice apocalyptic RED.


I have decided that if we are to remain California residents, we will buy one of these converted DC-10's and keep it in our garage in case the winds bring fire with them again next time.


Please keep in prayer, the 1500+ families who have lost lives, homes and businesses this week, and pray for the safety of all those fighting the fires. It's still not over.

Here is an extremely detailed map of each fire including the amount of
firefighters used, containment, acres burned and date and time. Click on the "Buckweed" fire if you want to see what went on in our immediate area.

Go to Google Maps