Inside the Brain of E.C. Henry

Iconic Couples; Exploring Issues in Rom-com Movies: Volume 73

Favorite power couple of all-time: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

For a while I thought the romantic comedy genre was dead.  Seems like it's been nearly 10 years since the last good one with Amy Schumer's brief run in doing Trainwreck (2015), and then I Feel Pretty (2018).  Then someone at Scriptshadow cued me that the streaming service have been generating new, romantic comedy content.  But not for the big screen.  Not for theatrical releases.  

At this point I don't know if the genre will rebound or not.  Heck, I don't know if theaters will survive.  That said romance will never really die, because it's a component of life.  A more satisfied life.  So the human, latent need for rom-com material will always be there; as I see it.  It's just a matter of where people will have to go to have that itch scratched.    

One of the ways romance continues to live on is on the cover of magazines.  Every time I grocery shot at Ingles in Colonial Heights, TN; I see magazines that continue to highlight the romantic escapades of today's and yesteryear's celebrities.

As for me, I've never really followed any "power couples".  Being a Taylor Swift fan I remember being on-line and seeing pictures of her with her beau's through the years.  Gotta be hard to have your love life on parade for people to comment on, but then again she has profited off that quite a bit.  

When I saw these two musical acts had collided and come together -- I thought it would be for forever; they looked GREAT together!

Perhaps the funniest "power couple" development has been the emergence of Pete Davidson as a heart throb for likes of Kim Kardashian and Emily Ratajakowski.  Pete Davidson is no Brad Pitt, whose love life has in past times had the likes of Gwenth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, and Angelina Jolie at his side.  Not bad huh?  Now in his late 50s I just read that Brad has a new girl in his life and that he's expecting to be a father.  Recently even Quentin Tarantino got married and had a child.  

Pete's gettin' busy with a hottie and that's not even Kim nor Emily!!  

So we will have some celebrity rumblings of romance, foibles and the like.  So the seeds of the romantic comedy are still afoot.  

Renee Zellwegger/Kenny Chesney, Gwenith Paltrow/Chis Martin from the music group "Coldplay", Michael Douglas/Catherine Zeta-Jones.  Heck even Steven Speilberg/Kate Capshaw, Kevin Kline/Phoebe Cates... ... Okay, now with last one, I can't help but add because I remember from the 1980s how Phoebe Cates burst onto the scene with her brief, but remembered role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982):

Phoebe Cates in her prime.  

So how much do celebrity couples inspire modern romances?  I'm not sure.  I think people are naturally curious about that, as evident by their time seen on magazine covers.  As I close in on age 54, myself; I think about romance less and less; figuring that ship is no longer boardible.  Still, the heart and mind remain alive and kicking long after you pass your romantic expiration date.  A generation comes... and a generation goes... And with it new romantic pairings and possibilities emerge.  It's just amazing how some people are so blessed in this area.  And how others of us, like me, just wander in the romanceless desert of life, devoid of love; yet always seeing it from afar...

John Cougar Mellancamp/Meg Ryan

 

 

 

When God Chooses a Hottie to Save His People

This is Shannon Bream of Fox News fame.  Of all the women on planet Earth you would be hard pressed to find one as beautiful and nice as she is.  And not only that, but Shannon's an author too -- and it's a godly book no less!  "The Women of the Bible Speak: The Wisdom of 16 Women and Their Lessons for Today".  If interested you can buy the book here.  I fell in love with Shannon watching Fox News.  It's like getting your news delivered by Meg Ryan.  Still, I know she's married...

#allthegoodonesaretaken

Snap!  But now that's we've got this kicked off.  Time for my hot take, and it's this:

Hot woman can be used by God.

The bible is an amazing book.  In God's word, many years ago while the nation of Israel was under the rule of the Persians, there came a time where God delivered His people through a beauty pageant winner.  I'm not kidding.  It's in the book of Esther in the Old Testament.   

I read the book three times recently in preparation for this post.  And the gist of the plot is that a Jew in bondage overcame her circumstances by winning a beauty pageant and agreeing to the queen of a Persian king, Ahasuerus or Xerexes who rained as king of Persia from 486 B.C. through 464 B.C.. 

At the start of his reign king Ahasuerus has a beautiful queen named Vashti.  She was so beautiful that Asasuerus wanted to show her off after he and his friends had been drinking, but Vashti refused!  This led to king cutting Vashti off and a nation-wide search for beautiful virgins was made to replace Vashti.  

This led to Esther's rise to preeminence, as she was ultimately chosen to replace Vashti, but while doing so at the insistence of her Jewish caregiver, Mordecai, who took her as his own daughter.  Esther was beautiful in form and face.  Yet once she was queen, Queen Ester faced one whopper of situation.  For one her king's closest confidants was conspiring to wipe-out all the Jewish people in the kingdom of Persia, all because ONE man of Jewish descent refused to bow before him in his presence.  Haman wasn't even king, yet he was so filled with ego and pride that he wanted the whole nation to wiped-out on account of ONE MAN's refusal to bow before.

Thankfully the beautiful Esther didn't turn her back on her people.  But rather she listened to her adopted father and made a proper entreaty before King Ahasuerus that exposed Haman dire treachery.  King Ahasuerus listened to his hottie wife, and the once he knew about Haman's treachery had him hung in gallows that Haman had built to hang Mordecai, Esther 7:10.  

I'm not a fan of torture.  Even of the most vile people.  Still, I'm glad that hotties like --

Exist.  Okay, the hottie I just posted isn't Esther either, BUT she is the first person I thought of when I started thinking what Esther may have looked like in real life.  Aishah Hasnie is her name.  And she, like Shannon Bream works at Fox News!  All the hot, smart and politically savvy women work there. 

Aishah Hasnie is Pakistani beauty follows the Muslim faith -- at least from what I've read.  But I'm not prejudice.  A beauty is a beauty no matter where they come from and all honest I think the real Esther from the bible looked a lot more like Aishah Hasnie than she did did Shannon Bream.

So many thing to appreciate about Esther's CHARACTER.  That's right, not only was Esther beautiful on the outside as is recorded in Esther 2:7; but this lady PROVED she was beautiful on the inside by the choices she made a critical time in Israel's history.

• Esther didn't turn her back on her heritage even when when was living the high life.
• Esther listened to advice and acted on it. 
• The story of Esther proves that adopted parents can have a success story through the children they raise.  Mordecai took on Esther after her parents died and raised her.  Then, even when Esther was a mature woman, she respected her adopted father and did right by him. 
• Esther was willing to use her God given gifts.  What if Esther never competed in the king's competition?  Her's was occupied people, after all, and Vashti was gawked at for her beauty.  Esther had to know this treatment would probably extend to her, but she endered it anyway. 
• Esther learned the proper ways and practices to be of royalty and how to approach the king.  She actively thought and didn't just rely on her outer beauty to carry her.  Esther had a brain -- and she used it the preservation of God's people.

From the story of Esther and Mordecai the Jewish people now celebrate the feast of Purim.  See Esther 9: 21-22.  On the 14th and 15 day of the Jewish month of Adar the Jewish people are to celebrate with feasting and rejoicing when God delivered them from a treacherous scheme to annihilate God's people while they were being disciplined already by another nation. 

This post was born of discussion that me and my mother had about the rapture.  We got to speculating and though MAYBE the rapture of the church could happen THIS Purim season, which in 2023 is being celebrated by the Jewish people March 8th and 9th.  Purim 2023

Nobody knows the day or hour that Jesus will come from his bride, the church.  BUT things down here on Earth keep getting darker, and the government of today is more led by the devil than it is led by the Lord. 

Many years ago God went so far as to state the EXACT borders that He wanted His people Israel to have.   

Genesis 15:18,  Exodus 23: 31. 

The Christian God does distinguish between people groups.  And the ultimate Lordship of all the people and nations is under the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  

Lots is issues to sort through in this corrupted word.  Thank you Jesus we have the word of God to help make sense of it all, and guide us to where we should be on the issues.  Always seek to be one of Jesus's sheep that He calls to be at His right side.  God does differentiate between people...

Matthew 25: 32-33 (Jesus speaking) "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them one another, as the sheperd separates the sheep from the goats' and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left."

In the end, God's word is good and worthy to be studied and praised.  So glad that God uses many different ways to save.  Sometimes even a well-placed hottie gets her name called to do a work in His name.  To God be the glory!

Freezing Florida

I just got back from a two week vacation in the state of Florida over the Christmas and New Year's holiday, and found it for the most part to be FREEZING!  

Most beaches in Pensacola look like this:

White sand beaches.

At my mom's insistence we (me, her, my brother, his wife, two kids and their dog) went on a Florida vacation that had us first housed in Pensacola on the far western extreme of the panhandle, then over at Pacific Coast which is about 35 miles south of Jacksonville. 

The weather started turning the day we left Tennessee.  Day two in Pensacola it was below zero -- even in the middle of the day!  Found out the hard way that the windows in Florida aren't insulated very well.  Felt a cold draft coming from a bedroom window so severe that it made me feel like that window was open.  Yeah, I get it, Florida is a warm weather state, but we saw Pensacola in record low temperatures.  Still, cold or not, my mom and brother found amble time to look for seashells.  Me, I'm not really into that.  I can look for shells for a little while, but it's not my jam. 

Thankfully we left Penacola after six days, and traveled east.  We stayed at "Cinnamon Beach" in Palm Coast. 

That beach had a lot of dead reefs and was dark brown like the color cinnamon, hence the name: Cinnamon Beach.  Lot of hurricane beach access damage there with about half of the pier access damaged and not usable.  Beach access at Cinnamon Beach was supposed to look like this --

But these peers were usually damaged at the stair access to the beach.  We saw some fences pushed over and some palm trees knocked over from hurricane damage earlier in 2022. 

To be completely honest, I wasn't in the vacationing spirit during this trip.  The highlight of Pensacola was seeing a lemon tree -- that still had lemons on it in on at the house we were renting there.  Did try one of the lemons off the tree and found it bland.  Went through the state of Alabama and found the entire experience forgettable. 

I tried to convince my mom NOT to go on this vacation, but she was insistent.  She thinks that the U.S. economy is going to crash, and when it does people aren't be going anywhere!  I tend to believe along those lines, but I'm a little more optimistic about the future than she is; though we're both looking forward to the rapture of the church and being with Jesus.  Mom thinks this may happen at this year's Jewish feast of Purim in early March.  Purim is feast the Jews celebrate when queen Ester helped expose a plot by a man in power who wanted to eliminate the Jews.  This happened about 500 B.C.  Anyway, as things in the world continue to worsten me and Sweet Pea continue to keep our gaze above.  This year the feast of Purim happens in early March.

On our trip I did see three gators in the wild.  All where in northeast Florida.  One was at a golf course pond.  Another was at waste water pond off the highway.  A third was on a log at Silver Springs National Park.  Saw lots of alligators at the St. Augustine Zoological Park.  I thought with the colder weather (low 70s at the time) the gators would be more active, but they weren't.  Most of them just were laying around, or swimming lazily in their water exhibits.  Surprisingly it was the TURTLES that were out and about putting on a show for the tourists. 

Did gets SOME writing in during this trip, but not a lot.  Started the script for Ducky Goes on Holiday on New Years morning.  Before that I did beef up the outline and did some important character work.  Still not expecting Ducky Goes on Holiday to be done until March.  Think I have 11 song and dance numbers planned for this animated script.  Still have some research to do.  And since this is my first kids oriented script, there's that inexperience to consider too.

Did avoid drinking alcohol this trip, but was awfully tempted a couple of times.  Especially at condominium complex in Palm Coast.  They had a bar there that served Pina Coladas and I really wanted one!  But the streak is intact, 5 months since I last had alcohol.  Though I no longer want to abstain, for the family I'm going to--for now!  But sometime soon, I'm going to drink again.  Yeah, I'll always have alcoholic tendencies, but I've proven I to myself I can refrain and stop if I have too.  The AA life simply isn't for me.  Staying sober to be in their favor isn't much of a motivator.  Still, for now I'm playing that game as it makes my mom happy; and also since my brother and sister-in-law have given up drinking.  The other consideration is their 14-year-old son, Brycen; who is seriously immature and at at delicate state in his life.  Still, a beer at Buffalo Wild Wings sounds like Heaven.

Tomorrow it's back to work for me.  Time to crank-up a lot of stuff.  Like maybe a 2nd job...  Get a new cap on a tooth in the back.  Work on the lawnmower.  Pick-up the yard.  Make sure my chainsaw is running and in good order.  Straighten up and maintain our firepit area.  Build a new retention wall.  Re-painting the family table.  Getting a new financial plan.  Getting some service done on my Subaru.  Already three days into 2023, and life keeps chugging along.  Sorry I didn't include pictures from the trip.  I did take a few.  It's just nothing stood out.  This was more of a relaxing tour of the southeast just during a record-setting cold spell. 

Kaya Jones on PragerU: Heros Among Us; Volume I

Hey, I FINALLY found something new from Kaya Jones.  Thought I'd lost her after I left Twitter and Facebook following the 2020 election.

Typepad wont let me post it, but here's the link for a video she made depicting her story: Kaya Jones speaks, December 2022

At one point Kaya was involved with Antonio Sabato Jr. and Nikk Tezzekker trying to launch a conservative movie studio.  So glad to just verify that this GEM of a woman is still alive. 

This prompted me to start a new series entitled, "Heros Among Us".

You may feel like America is head off the edge of cliff.  Heck just TODAY congress was peppering the bankruptcy file CEO of FTX with question about how millions of user both in the U.S. and abroad were defrauded out of BILLIONS of dollars.  Needless to say you wont be seeing --

Bet this picture doesn't make you smile now, Maxine...

In this series as featured person such as Kaya Jones is.

Gotta wonder how far down the rabbit hole cyryptocurrency and donations to the Democratic Party go.  Ponzi scheme, and bad business practices in one thing, illegally lining the pockets of politician is another.  

Okay enough of the bad people, as this new series is supposed to shed some light on the good guys (and girls).  

HUGE fan of Kaya Jones.  Love with with looks, brains, and some wit.  She's got it all!  So glad she still at telling he story and fighting the good fight in these trying times.  

Kaya as I remember her when she was lending her support for Antonio Sabato Jr. and Nixx Tezzekker.  Anyway, the word needs more women like Kaya Jones.  I know, I for one, look forward to wherever the creative life takes her!

Gino Smith: 2022 NFL Most Improved Player

Never thought I'd be saying this, but the biggest surprise of the 2022 NFL season has got to be the play of the Seattle Seahawks' Geno Smith.  Even in the pre-season most people were more intreaged by Drew Lock than they were Gino, even tough Gino had been Russell Wilson's back-up for the past three years. 

But the fact was prior to this year, Gino really hadn't done much to inspire confidence that he was good enough to be the Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback.  Sure, he was a starter for the New York Jets back in 2013-14, but was benched there; and then bounced around the league before landing in Seattle only to be a bench warmer under the reliable and successful, Russell Wilson.

But Russell wanted out of Seattle, and eventually John Schneider found a good trade partner in the Denver Broncos.  The Broncos were looking for what they thought would be the final piece that pushed them over the top so they could complete against the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chargers who were showing promise with Justin Herbert as their quarterback.  

For Russell Wilson the Seahawks got two number one picks, two number picks, a 5th round pick, QB Drew Lock, TE Noah Fant, and DE Shelby Harris.  

The funny part is, this year the Denver Broncos have really struggled with Russell starting all but one of their games up till now compiling a 3-8 record so far which included an opening week loss of 16-17 on Monday Night Football where Russell Wilson made his return to Seattle -- only now as an opponent.  

What's happened so far is nothing short of miraculous.  Remember E.C.'s pre-season predictions?  Well, in them I picked my beloved Seahawks to finish at 3-14, while the Broncos were supposed to be much better at 7-10; both in last place in their respected divisions.  

With Gino and Russell the starters on the respective teams it is fair to compare their 2022 statistics so far so this is how they stack up:

Games played: 

Russell Wilson: 11

Gino Smith: 12

Completions/Attempts/%:

Russell Wilson: 215 / 358 / 60.1%

Gino Smith: 285 / 392 / 72.7%

Passing Yards: 

Russell Wilson: 2,558

Gino Smith: 3,169

Touchdowns / Interceptions:

Russell Wilson: 8 / 5

Gino Smith: 22 / 6

Sacks:

Russell Wilson: 37

Gino Smith: 31

Rushing Yards (Attempts / Yards / Average per rush / longest rush / rushing TD / fumbles):

Russell Wilson: 37 rushing attempts / 158 yards / 4.3 rushing average / 1 TD / 2 fumbles

Gino Smith: 52 rushing attempts / 243 yards / 4.7 rushing average / 1 TD / 3 fumbles

I thought Denver was supposed to be an offensive juggernaut this year?!  But if you compare their stats this year Gino Smith is CLEARLY the better quarterback.  Towards the end of Russell's tenure in Seattle I soured on him.  But I still thought he was a better quarterback than Gino was/is.  Now, I'm not so sure.

One thing is for sure, Gino Smith throws a better slant route than Russell Wilson ever has.  Check this clip from last week.  The throw that won the game against the L.A. Rams in the last minute.  Gino Smith to D.K. Metcaff:

Don't know how the 2022 season will turn out, but so far so good.  The 2022 Seattle Seahawks have been wayyy more competitive than I thought they would be.  They are one of the pleasant surprises in the NFL this year -- and the play of Gino Smith is one of the primary drivers of their success.  

The E.C. 500

This is my 500th post -- can you believe it?  Started wayyy back in 2011 and from February 11, 2011 through November 28. 2022 done 500 posts.

Would like to say over that time I've collected quite the following; but, alas, that has not been the case.  To date I've had 94,254 page views.  And 364 comments. 

Not bad...

Kidding.  That's PITIFUL.  Definitely not the winning car breaking the ticker-tape at the end of the INDY 500.

Still, I keep at it which begs the question, why?

I view this blog as my personal space, where I get to air my opinions.  Since I have ambitions of making movies of the screenplays I've written, and one day completing my epic fantasy series; my creative endeavors dominate what I post here.

This blog really started at a different site, Living the Romantic Comedy which was run and hosted by the one and only, Billy Mernit.  I used to post and respond there a lot back when Billy's site was more active.  I JUST found the site, it looks as though Billy has consolidated that under a bio website.  I think I last searched for that a couple years ago and couldn't find it.  Anyway, back when I used to attend the Screenwriting Expos I attended one of the rom-com classes Billy Mernit hosted -- and even gave him a shirt!  The guy is a library and wealth of info on that.  He fell out of favor with me me when the subject of Bob Dylan came up, and he took a stance that I wasn't on-board with. 

Still, no sense dregging up the past, it's just the IDEA for hosting a blog of my own came from him and the GREAT blogsite that Billy Mernit had constructed.

For a while I did my own rom-com posts under the Exploring Issue in Rom-Com Movies sub-heading...  But eventually you run out of thing to talk about on that subject.  I got up to 70 posts, with the last entry so far in the series entitled, In the Ring.  That post from May of 2020 was in celebration of me realizing that as I was editing So Go Back and Get Her, I was participating and adding to the lore of the romantic comedy genre, which is still my movie genre of them all.  See Billy Mernit, after all these years we still have something in common! 

Not saying the Exploring Issues in Rom-Com Movies series is over; it's just, let's face it, there hasn't been a lot to say about romantic comedies for a long time.  I did try to push Taylor Swift to get involved with my romantic comedies, and maybe even The Commune series, but alas, I was never able to make a connection.  I recently read Taylor is going to be doing an Era's concert tour in 2023, and recently she's had a couple minor movie roles of her own in Cat (2019). and Amsterdam (2022).  So Hollywood and the queen of pop have met.  I figure she can now get movie scripts with roles anytime she wants from anyone she want, which leaves me out in the dark as per usuge.

Over the past 12 years I've reviewed a few movies that I liked under the Movies that Move Me banner.  But for the most part, I haven't felt the unction to make this a main focus, as I'm more of a content creator than a content evaluator.  Now over at Scriptshadow there are lots of users there who really get down and dirty when it comes to movie reviews and the history of cinema issue, but that's really not my jam.  I can interface in a limited basis in that, but it's farrr from a passion of mine.  That said, if I find a movie I do like, like: Birdman (or the Virtue of Ignorance) [2014 -- can you believe it's been nearly 10 years since that movie cam out?], Planet of the Apes (1968), or Aliens (1986); then I could go on and on about what the filmmaker did right, for I love those three movies.  Therein like the rub; love v.s. indifference.  Most movies don't rub me as great movies so I don't spend a lot time trying to dissect them.  Last GREAT movie I saw was Redeeming Love, and, yes, that movie did make entry #10 in the Movies that Move Me series. 

One thing I was curious about was my posting history over the years, so I thought it would be cool to summarize my progress so over the years.  So now going backwards from now to the beginning, here's my blog post totals:

• 2022: 20
• 2021: 22
• 2020: 17
• 2019: 16
• 2018: 23
• 2017: 27
• 2016: 55
• 2015: 73
• 2014: 75
• 2013: 78
• 2012: 48
• 2011: 46

What Riggan Thompson is saying here is, E.C.'s written 500 blog posts, people!

So what can you make of those numbers?  Hmmm.   Probably the "normal" curve to be expected from someone in my situation: an enthusiast who writes with the dream of one day making it big and seeing my work produced for mass consumption.  At first the blog was new to me, then I got in grove and had an active series I was pursuing: Exploring Issues in Rom-Com Movies; then I ran out of things to say on that so the numbers dropped off.  Moreso, the more posts you make the less territory you have left to talk about so that factors into it to.  But recently I started post a little more.

Over the course of these 12 years a lot has happened: First, I noticed a lot of blogs that I used to follow got abandoned.  This is understandable due to the tough nature it is to make a sale.  I used to frequent a bunch of fellow screenwriters, they were all pre-pros like me, but after a while they stopped blogging.  During my blog time the romantic comedy genre really petered out.  Now were in outright time where the whole studio movie system may go under.  Woke ideology and the Democrat party to blame for these ills.  So sad we have a political party in the Democrats that does NOTHING for the American people and our prosperity.  Till that changes I thing are just going to go from worse to worse.  Also along my tenure was the rise of Amy Schumer.  And then of course the China flu which wracked American society and was used as ploy by the Democrats to tighten their aurthortarian grip on political power, the elections, and free speech.  Finally, in the summer of 2022, there was me at breaking point where I had to confront my own excesses and deal with the fact I'm an alcoholic.    

We are in dark times.  I hope that the Lord uses me for His glory in whatever capacity that takes.  The truth, is at the end of the day, I'm a Christian.  And I'm His.  Can't forget that, the most important part:  belonging to God .  That brings me great joy.  Hopefully, that reflects in my posts.  Christian first, author and content creator second.  At the end of the year I'm slated to explore the American southeast with my mom, brother his wife and two kids: Florida part III+ Georgia and Alabama.  Still have my eye on the rapture too.  Really getting into the book of Exodus and the parallel's between what was happening then, and the upcoming rapture of the church.

Spoilers: the wokers are going to get their wish, and when God's people are taken from their midst they're going to get to live through the stuff written in the book of Revelation.  Abortion, gender confusion, loss of freedoms, corrupting U.S. elections, Ponzi schemes.  Democrats -- THAT is your legacy.  So sad, because God isn't going to judge favorably on any of the things that wokers and Democrats are striving to achieve.    

Better to be on the right side of Jesus, than on the right side of (a Democrat) corrupted history 

Still, I don't know when events will take place.  So like Jesus instructed the seven churches in Revelation this is a time to hold on to what you have and contend for the faith the best you can.  Realize the times we're in; and that in reality all we're waiting for is for the Holy Father to tell his Son that it's time to get His bride (the church).  So get some oil in your lamps, and be listening for Lord's call.  The time is short, but in the end, God is good.

To infinity (501 posts) and beyond!

 E.C. Henry  from  Kingsport, TN 

Wholesomeness

These days nothing makes me happier than drinking a cold glass of milk.   Wholesome .  There's an inherent good about  milk .  Babies typically get milk from their mothers.  It's good for your bones.  It's nutritious.  It feels healthy when you drinking it, or enjoying other products that have a heavy  milk  about them.  Another food that I often crave and is wholesome is --

Carrots.  What, did you think I was going to say bunny?!!  Come on, man.  I just love the crisp snap of a  carrot , then I love sucking it's mash in my mouth, where it feels like I getting a straight dose of healthy  nutrients .  

The older I get the less I like the sweet stuff.   Hard candy  in very low doses is OKAY, but if I eat more than two Jolly Ranchers, I start to feel sick.  The sweet and sour candy I stay away from altogether.  Still, IF you search the candy aisle there is ONE brand that is hearty enough: a  Snicker bar .  I think it's the nuts in it, that make it feel wholesome.  Anyway, a Snicker bar  from time-to-time is a treat.  But even in this can't eat more than one.

Main meal wise, I THINK I'm trending towards more healthy foods too.  LOVE my mom's sourqraut.  Staying away from corndogs, and pizza.  Love a good steak and potato.  Eat too much popcorn as a snack.  Love the combo of celery and peanut butter:

A   regular staple   in lunches E.C. makes to eat at his paying, day job.

Okay, enough about food.  There's more to life than eating.  Wholesomeness also applies to writing.  

I don't know why it is, but ever since I was a kid my mind tended to gravitate towards the darker stuff.  BUT my mom and her faturnal twin, Denny, always wanted me to write, nice, family-friendly stories.  Give It Up for Chimpy sorta hems along those lines...  As does Bubblehead Saves the Day.  But for the most part what I've written to date is mature teen to mature adult content.  Going to try to change that with the new animated script I'm working on.  

So far my mom hasn't been much help crafting the story.  She's given me some names for characters, and commented on some "cute" situations she favors.  But getting down to story crafting and find a compelling conflict is something that makes her face go blank! 

Thankfully, I'm in tune with that sort of thing.  AND I get it; in an animated, more family-friendly fare, you don't need a compelling conflict.

Cute character interchanges > page turning plot -- in kid-friendly animation

So what constitutes the central plot in cartoon flicks?  Hmmm....

• In Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer the central conflict is Rudolf redeeming himself and getting back in the good graces of his fellow reindeer and Santa Clause.
• In Finding Nemo the central conflict is a father fish's adventure to find his missing clownfish son.  
• In Cinderella the central conflict is a maid's struggle to get out from underneath the schemes of her stepmother and stepsister to go to the ball and fall in love with the prince.
• Inside Out (2015) central conflict is what affect a girl's emotions will have on her relocating to a new home -- when those emotions express themselves as either constructive or destructive entities.  Of all the animated movies I've seen, I think I like Inside Out the most.  For a "kid's movie" it really has a Charlie Kaufman-eque premise.  

From Inside Out (2015) and the "control deck" of a child's mind, here's what's going on:

So when attempting to write wholesome, family friendly stories I think a writer is best served finding a relatable conflict first.  Conflict is what drives a story.  Even in kid's fare there needs to be something which compels the protagonist to do something heroic.  So there has to be a problem to solve.  It's just in kids fare that takes a different accent than what you'd find in the other movie genres: horror, adult drama, action/adventure.

So when thinking about conflict in wholesome movies gravitate toward adventure, and taking indentifiable characters out of the comfort zone to solve a problem.  

Protagonist, problem in kid's style!   How hard can that be? 

I think in writing family fare stories, the writer has to identify with the audience.  That would be kids, if you're writing animated scripts.  So a good place to start is what problems kids face when growing up.  You then as the writer take the kid on a adventure as you explore a story involving a common problem that an audience of kids can reasonably be expected to identify with.  

Bond audience to central conflict THEN go to Willy Wanka and the Chocolate Factory for a zany adventures.  

Story crafting kids style, something NEW for the brain of E.C. Henry.  So wish me luck.  Hopefully when I'm done I'll have a wholesome project that makes my mom happy.  Just wish I could have had a project like this under my belt before Denny died.  I loved my aunt.  She said something about me that bothers me to this day.  She said I was a hard man.  Hard meaning cold, and not as warm and loving as she was and would have liked me to be. 

Character flaws, and times we don't live up to other people's hopes and expectation.  That's a hard pill to swallow.  But if gives me motivation to change.  I've got have at least ONE STORY in me that my aunt and mother would be proud of.  Hopefully, the family-friendly animated story I'm working on now will end up being wholesome enough to make those two women proud of me.  That's the goal with this one!

Bye-bye, for now.  Till we meet again,

 

Making Sweet Pea a Screenwriter

For my next feat, I'll be attempting to make Sweet Pea a screenwriter -- and she's looking forward to it!

So who is "Sweet Pea"?

Well, as far as I'm concerned Sweet Pea is my pet name for my 73-year-old mother, Donna Marie Henrikson/Misik.  I'm not sure how long ago I started referring to my mom as "Sweet Pea" -- but she doesn't mind that nic-name, and has never reprimanded me for calling her that so it's stuck.  I asked her one time if that nic-name bothered her and she said, "no"; rather, she thought it was nice and endearing so it stuck and I use that name more than any other when referring to my mom.

As seen in the opening picture, Sweet Pea refers to a baby character in the ol' Popeye cartoons:

Kinda weird that Popeye was originally conceived by a cartoonist by the name of E.C. Segar who lived from 1894 - 1938, as my chosen writing pseudonym is E.C. Henry.  Even weirder is the fact that  E.C. Segar  was born and raised in Illinois -- the same as E.C. Henry.  I lived in Illinois from 1969 - 1980, btw!  

 E.C. Segar  was among the first cartoonists to combine humorous situations with long-running adventures.

Sweat pea is also a Italian legume (Lathyrus odoratus) having slender usually climbing stems, ovate leaves, and large fragrant flowers: 

So which is it E.C.?  Is Sweet Pea a cartoon baby who used to be part of the adventures of Popeye and Olive Oyl, or is it an annual flower of the annual variety?   (Annual means the flower completes its growing cycle in one season, in case you didn't know).   And if you use the cartoon version it's spelled Swee' Pea!

Well, in looking at those two instances of the word, I must say that MY Sweet Pea is a glorious combination of the two and so much more.  I don't know exactly why I started referring my mother as Sweet Pea.  Going into this I didn't actively know in my mind that Sweet Pea was a character in the Popeye series OR that it was a colorful annual flower.  But now that I explore other uses of that name, I see both kinda fit my mom.  

My mother, Donna Marie Henrikson/Misik (her maiden last name before she married my father), is a great lady.  I couldn't have asked for a better mother. 

Donna Marie Henrikson/Misik is:

• Beautiful!  For someone who is now in her 70s, my mom has retained her beauty very well.
• A born again Christian!  Yep, my mom's name is written in the Lamb's book of Life.  Donna Marie Henrikson/Misik loves Jesus with her whole heart.  So get used to see that face, because IF you make it to Heaven, my mom is sure to be there as soon her service is complete in her allotment of time here on planet Earth.  Someday my mother will be on the worship team.  I believe that with my whole heart, Donna Marie Henrikson/Misik will be on the Lamb's worship team up in Heaven.  It's gunna happen, that's my mom's ultimate destiny the way I see it. 
• An avid golfer.  A love she picked up from time spent with my father.  They used to golf together quite often.  Sometimes even doing golf "vacations", where they'd travel to destinations they hadn't been too before just to golf!
• A very generous woman.  She bought a house that me and my brother are currently living in.  I'm in my 50s and later this week my younger brother will be turning 50 as well.  
• a avid reader of the bible and waiting eagerly for the return of Christ.  Me and mom have that in common.  Both of us see the corruption in society, most notably in  politics  -- and want out!  Out of this world, eager to be with the Lord in paradise.  To both me and my mother this world is farrrr from paradise.  We see this world getting morally sicker and more evil by the day.  This gets Christians like me and my mom to dig in deeper into our faith as we realize that this world is plunging deeper into darkness as it turns from God and believes and accepts the lies of the devil and the dominion of hell.
• Vivacious.  There is LIFE within my mom.  A deep, vibrant life.  She has recovered from my father's passing with flying colors.  Yes, she cries for him from time-to-time; but her she's still active and ALIVE.  She's still doing God's will as best she knows how.  
• And she's going to write a screenplay with me!

Yep, that's right, I told Sweet Pea about a story idea I had -- and she like it and wanted to help me write it!

That's so funny because just this last season she was MAD at me for writing horror.  Sweat Pea was insistent that Christians, who are followers of Jesus, don't write horror stories.  Well, I did.  To date I've written two:  Owen   Decides   , and  Gravesite Crows .  The Commune series also has a lot of horror it it, a la Ridley Scott's Alien/Prometheus franchise.  If I remember right, Sweat Pea actually went with me to see Prometheus back when it came out, and she didn't like it.  Aliens gestating in human hosts was too much for her to handle. 

This is the reaction you can expect if you offer horror stories to my Sweet Pea:

But trying to justify my taste in entertainment to my mother is in the rear-view mirror now.  For now going forward me and me and Sweat Pea: my 73-year-old mother; are writing a cartoon story of our own.  This will be my first endeavor attempting to write a strictly cartoon/animated story.  I did write some accenting cartoon shorts for An American Princess which featured Captain Bip, Timmy the temp, and sharks!  But that was back in the 2006/2007 era.  What I'm writing now will be animated, coming-of-age story that takes place over a year span -- and it will have a few musical numbers in it too! 

This is a story I started taking notes on as far back as 2007, I believe.  Jotted down a couple more notes in 2013 when I was deciding on projects to work on.  So I've already got some mass to work with, and had some false starts on this project before.  Right now me and Sweat Pea are "brainstorming" and building momentum.  I'll supply the framework of story, and she'll paint in details and lend her creative mind on shaping the scenes.  She's already given me three pages of notes on character names.

I think I'm VERY GOOD at working with others and letting them be part of the creative process.  It's fun to see dreams in other people's eyes when they try to envision a movie being made over what we're actively discussing.  

That's right, I'm making Sweat Pea a screenwriter.

So stay tuned to see how that works out!

 

 

Voting in NE Tennessee 2022...

... was easy, fast, and secure!

• First they scanned my Tennessee driver's licence.
• Then they asked me if I was still living at the same address.
• Then they handed me a receipt to initial.
• I handed that receipt to person accepting receipts and explaining the process.
• They initialed the receipt I was given and put it in a box.
• Next I got my ballot, and went to private booth to fill it out.
• Lastly I entered the ballot myself into a scanner which remained in the scanner.  

Simple and easy process, was in and out in about 20 minutes with a small line of six people ahead of me.  Overall was very impressed with Tennessee's in-city polling stations.  

Not sure about elections in other states, but my experience participating in election day proceeding in Tennessee was a positive one, definitely better than times past in the state of Washington that did away with polling stations in favor of all mail-in ballots (Boo, hiss), which I think is a gateway to corrupting the vote and true will of the people.  Sooo go Volunteer State!  For the first time in my life I can honestly say, I'm Tennessee proud; all on account of the way the hold their elections.  May my experience be shared by others who are concerned about free and honest elections.

Polling stations and voter ID, GOOD!

Mail-in ballots, BAD.

Big Day of Site Traffic

 170 page views  and it's only 8 a.m. EST:

For context I normally get a little over 20 site views a day.  And eight days ago I got ZERO when Typepad was down for a day!  Anyway, 170 page views was an unexpected development worth celebrating. 

So keep viewing my posts.  I'm closing in on 500 of them. 

Lots going on in my writing career. 

Always willing to branch off and talk about other things too. 

Thanks for visiting my site and adding to my statistical count.  I love my fans!

Publish
 

Owen Decides: E.C. Henry's 29th completed spec. script

I know it's after Halloween now, but I can't help but celebrate in all it's pomp and glory, the first page of  Owen  Decides , my 29th completed spec. script. and 9th written in Lit Expression.  

Owen  Decides  Logline: 

On the eve of his graduation a high schooler gets caught in a witch’s scheme  that draws him into the dark side of spirituality and an increasing body count.

Had a lot of fun writing this script which ended up being 102 pages long.  For starters it had an antagonist that was hard for me to write -- a   witch !   

Who writes about witches in 2022?  Nobody, exactly.  Furthermore in the greater lexicon of horror movies are rare and far between.  Going into writing this I keep thinking about the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz.  But that was a light-weight fantasy movie from nearly 100 years ago.  Knew I had to some digging if I was to bring  Dorthea Saumels  to life.

For starters, that's where bringing a new version of the  witch witch character to life began for me, giving her a name.   Dorthea Saumels ...  Hey, now that she has a name, she doesn't sound so scary... 

Later I added a bio for Dorthea, and knew her marriage life and how she came to be the person that she is at the beginning of the script when she is first introduced, which happens on page 8.  

 Owen  Decides  doesn't just rely on the  witch  though, I have a plethora of other "bad guys" that the main protagonist, Detmer Brown, must contend with during his great trial the night before he was slated to graduate from Addington High.

There is more of a  Freddy Kruggar  vibe to Owen  Decides  than  Michael Myers , read it and see for yourself.

 Owen  Decides  turned out to be A LOT different than  Gravesite Crows .  I love both stories, but I still think I like  Gravesite Crows  better. 

 Roarke : Ronald Orken Keyfeather was a more straightforward character, he wasn't a wrath-filled, self-centered bitch like  Dorthea Saumels  turned out to be.  In real life -- if these characters existed -- I would have like to have met Ronald.  I know him, at heart he's a descent guy.   Dorthea  Samuels  , on the other hand, is more deviate.  That said I hope audiences rally to root against her. 

Writing on  Owen  Decides  I cannibalized a lot of stuff from previous scripts.  Especially it came to apply this story's use of Lit Expression.   I used some Lit Expression from the past to add some zest to this story, and help it fit better in the greater cannon of screenplays I've written.  Legacy, broh; you're always adding to it.  I'm not trapped by my past, I'm freed up creatively by it.  I'm a forward momentum kind of guy.  That said the Lit Expression in  Owen  Decides  was HARD, it took a lot of extra effort to perfect. 

Still, I think crafted some new, evocative scenes with my latest screenplay.  There's even a scene in ACT II where I swear to God I thought I was writing Scarface --

Say hello to my little friend!

So as I now transition off this script, I do so with my head held high.  I gave it all I had.  For better or worse, I wrote the best script I was capable in my own, unique way and style.  I didn't want this project to bleed over into November, but wanted to use this month to write a script with my mom!  That's right I'm getting E.C. Henry's MOTHER in to the production!  My next script will be coming-of-age cartoon story.  Quite the departure from supernatural horror.

Look forward to talking to you about it as I go through.  Sorry for not posting more.  Next week is an election in the U.S.  Things are pretty bad in this country right now.  There's even talk that the FBI is colluding with Big Tech to censor citizens who raise objection to Joe Biden and his agenda.  Heck, just a couple weeks ago the FBI raided the home of a family man just because he took a stand against abortion.  Can you believe that?  A politically weaponized FBI.  We live in very dark times.  Stay strong in the Lord, I don't think His people are going to be here much longer.  

- E.C. Henry from Kingsport, TN