I was listening to Prairie Home Companion. I liked Mr. Garrison Keillor's common sense, wise storytelling about Conservative Christian politics "forcing" a school to change Halloween (a supposed "pagan" concept) to just the "Fall Festival". For the sake of small town peace, the PTA (small town folk with common sense) were fine cutting the Conservative Christians some slack, not making a big deal out of a name. However, the Conservative Christians might even have a problem with the word "Festival" next year. People with common sense just want people to get along in the town. They want peace. Though the old timers with common sense did tell the radical Conservative Christians that they always felt it was far better to see good people play Evil on Halloween, then evil people play Good.

Evil playing Good vs. Good playing Evil. I really like that expression. I remember reading a distilled analysis of Carl Jung. I came away with the concept that... If you keep the Devil down, he'll strike back harder.

I'm stewing on this idea for this 2004 Halloween. I thought about Osama Bin Laden's recent video. Why did it suddenly come out? Who is it really going to benefit in terms of the election? I believe radicals like to have opponents who are radicals. I feel Osama Bin Laden would prefer to have Bush representing the Americans as his enemy. Why? Because radicals make more radicals. It's good for business. If you used the small town common sense "cutting slack" concept or there's room for eveybody concept, it takes the wind out of the sail. Suddenly, there's a lot of different voices out there. It's harder to recruit radicals. This is real democracy. This is what radical fundamentalists really don't want. They'd rather have this battle to keep recruiting. I believe Kerry representing the Americans would make it more difficult for the radicals to recruit and, hence, the timing of Osama Bin Laden's video. I hope I am wrong. Happy Halloween.

Witch 1
This is the appropriate soundtrack for the biker witch.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BOSTON RED SOX AND THEIR FANS! THEY BROKE THE CURSE. AND THEY DID IT WITH GREAT GUSTO AND POWER.

I got him his very own large fleshy cockroach. It's peeking out of the brown paper bag. He might use it in one of his next class movies.

Hanover's NEUE PRESSE wrote: "Sometimes the Oldenburg Film Festival is just as wicked as its programme would purport. Christopher Coppola, Francis Ford's nephew, Nicolas Cage's brother, lying there in a buffalo hunting waistcoat on the bar alongside a higgledy-piggeldy table. In the background Annaud's THE BEAR is playing as a silent film... "

The Day of Reckoning has passed and the Soapbox is back up and running with a life of its own. It's all about the voice of the people.

William in his bed with his cat Patches.

The young William on his boat with his friend Gaylord Carter, the great silent film organist.

My brother Marc and I way back in the Long Beach days.


My brother Marc and I shooting "Bel Air" a few years ago. I wonder what might be next on the horizon.

When I did my talk at San Francisco State for grad film students, I had some visual clips from some of my films. I got a great reaction from the Palmer's clips. I was happy about that. There's a lot more than meets the eye in that film and I am very proud of it. When I came back from Frisco I had lunch with a colleague, Michael Rosen. He was the Post Supervisor on Palmer's as well as Creature. He told me how much he loved Palmer's.

Michael's the one that did the voice for the Clown with his Gang of Mimes getting his ass thoroughly kicked by Bo. I told him he was my favorite clown.

Later that day, I was riding my bike down Hollywood Blvd. when something caught my eye. It looked like someone painted a portrait of Alice Ghostley on a security door. Besides being a fan of Alice's, I worked with her on Palmer's. There was this strange synchronicity going on. Maybe one of my older works was going to have some sort of resurgence. I moved in close to make sure it was her.

I don't know who else it could be. What do you think? It has to be her. I was happy that someone like Alice Ghostley was being honored on Hollywood Blvd.

...some of you thought my older brother looked silly in his costume,

this is what I looked like taking his picture.

The Cope at Mardi Gras.

October 20 is actually Elyse's birthday. She had a great time last night, though she was surprised to see the amount of people working for her at all of her Los Angeles based companies: Digi-flicks, Ars Nova XXI, PlasterCITY Prods, and PlasterCITY Digital Post. Even Biker Cat came. I told her not to worry. Our people are extremely talented, hard working, decent citizens and above all truly understand "the bottom line". Come on, team. Let's make these companies rock!

I do this a lot. It's hard not to in the modern world. If you aren't constantly thinking and planning, you feel that you can be left behind and, with the materialistic values that our society embraces, you really are. This helps you to feel further and further removed from peace and joy. It is a vicious trap.

The Wisdom below is hard to attain, but refreshingly clear.


When the mind is silent, beyond weakness or non-concentration, then it can enter the world which is far beyond the mind: the Highest End.

The mind should be kept in the heart as long as it has not reached the Highest End. This is wisdom, and this is liberation. Everything else is only words.

Mind is indeed the source of bondage and also the source of liberation. To be bound to things of this world: this is bondage. To be free from them: this is liberation.

Excerpts from Maitra Upanishad: Aphorisms on the Transformation of Mind from Mr. Philip Novak, The World's Wisdom.

Dining alone.

Giant Trans America building looking down on FFC's once very important little beakon, Zoetrope Studios.

Creativity is all about keeping the torch lit, no matter what.

WATCH HOW BIG BUSINESS ("BIG BROTHER") IS GOING TO TRY TO STEAL THE DIGITAL UNIVERSE AND MAKE NO ROOM FOR THE LITTLE GUY.

THE MONOLITHIC BUILDING IS THE HOME OF NICOLAS CAGE'S SATURN FILMS, 9000 SUNSET BLVD. THE LARGE CANVAS ADVERTISEMENT IS ARS NOVA XXI'S COMING ATTRACTION, THE BIKER CHEF. ISN'T IT GREAT HOW THE TWO BROTHERS REALLY TRY TO HELP PROMOTE EACH OTHERS WORK.

THE LITTLE BRICK BUILDING IS THE HEADQUARTERS OF MY NEW MEDIA STUDIO ARS NOVA XXI, 6500 SUNSET BLVD. THE BILLBOARD ON TOP OF OUR LITTLE BUILDING IS MY YOUNGER BROTHER'S LATEST FILM, NATIONAL TREASURE. THE GUY DOWN BELOW IN THE STREET SMOKING A CIGAR, CRC.

Besides my little family, my grandmother and a few very close friends there hasn't been many rooting me on. Actually, I have found that to be completely the opposite in my life, which is part of the reason why my skin is so thick. It's also why I have been accused of being so incredibly aloof. Elyse Meredith, my business partner, not only roots for me, she champions me. In this climate, I feel I can accomplish anything. I feel like a winner. For this, I have the utmost gratitude.


CRC with Elyse Meredith's racehorse, GoWithFate, at Arlington Park Racetrack.

The Iliad in all her glory. She's a champ and will never be forgotten.

My wife just started to print out her digital photos for the first time. She hasn't embraced the digital world as strongly as I have, which is both frustrating and refreshing at the same time. She showed me this one this evening. It's like an early Fellini film snapshot-- Poppa and Son walking together down a lonely road to catch some dinner. I stared at it for a long while, deeply feeling how much I love my little family.

I love celebrating doorways and entrances with...
...magic lanterns.