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Hey chaps, long time no blog
Posted Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Hey chaps, long time no blog. I've been a bit of a bind recently because I'm writing a comedy drama and also pitching various ideas for the next few years so things have been a bit busy.
I've been working on the comedy drama idea with Kim Fuller of 'Spice World' fame. Kim of course worked on THREE OF A KIND and various LENNY HENRY SHOWS, so he and I get on just fine and have an understanding that only years of hanging out in the kitchen, lying on the floor, going to the toilet when you don't agree with an idea, and eating your way through each other's fridge - can muster.
I personally think Kim is a genius, but don't tell him that otherwise he'll get all too big for his boots.
Said 'genius' however, does not necessarily mean that the script just plops fully formed from our heads onto the pages - Oh, no siree bob! Just writing the treatment has been painful, so we've got a ways to go yet but, as I say, Kim is an inspirational person to work with, so its 'gon' be alright'.
I've been doing publicity for 'LENNY HENRY LIVE -SO MUCH THINGS TO SAY' and I have to say, I'm having a pretty good time. My wife does not understand why I am having to go out and do interviews and I had to point out that 'Universal would quite like to sell some copies'. I gotta get my ass out there and promote. I don't mind either, being on Richard and Judy on Friday was a hoot - 'specially when Richard said rather casually, 'Ere Len, do you like STARWARS?' and on my affirmative, pulled out two light sabres, one pink, one blue and said 'have at you’. It was brilliant. I also like the way that Richard commandeered the blue one 'The blue one's mine' he says as he whops the pink one in my paw. I didn't care, because I was marvelling at the cool noises it was making. As you swing the nicely sizes sabres -authentic STAR WARS type ZZHHHNNNH! ZHWWWNNNN! Type noises emanate from the handle -AND when you flip the switch, it powers down just like in the movie ZZZWHNNNNNNOOORRN! I was so impressed.
Des and Mel was a delight, as always ...you could learn a thing or two about doing this type of show from my experience. It was the first show of the new series - usually on such a big deal show, a researcher calls you a week in advance and over an hour long period, takes you through the press cuttings and various questions that they might be interested. Comics usually improvise during these research sessions, as if to reassure the researcher that, 'honest, I will be funny on the day'.
Then you go and do the show when it comes round and it is never quite as good as the stuff you did in the room last week. However, what Des and Mel do is: They wait for the actual day of the show. Someone comes in and takes you through some questions they want to ask - you knock out any questions you don't like the look of, and then suddenly, you're on set in front of the audience - doing it. I had a ball - I felt so free not having to remember 'just what did I say in the room that made the researcher laugh?' They just allowed me to play, and that can only be good. I got a similar vibe from the excellent
Paul O Grady production staff... v. clever indeed.
So I'm liking the look of the DVD, and the fact that its on the shelves in the shops -make sure you tell all your pals to get it for Chrimbo - it is a perfect stocking filler chums.
Tonight I appeared on stage with Neil Gaiman - the venue was the Education Institute in London and I had to do a reading from Anansi Boys, (Neil's new book-v. good -go and get that too chums, it is a corker) and then do an interview and have Q and A from the audience, with a final reading from Neil.
It was a good evening and I really enjoyed it. The fact that I've known Neil for a while now meant that there was a level of cheekiness on my part that I'm not sure I would have dared with someone I didn't know as well. Neil got stick for his ever present, very heavy, really warm leather jacket; his name dropping: Neil: So, I went and stayed at Tori Amos's house.. Len:'Clang!' and so on….
I learnt some stuff too - exclusives 1) There is going to be a graphic novel of Gaiman's 'Coraline'
2) Matthew Vaughan of 'Layer Cake' fame has written a script for 'STARDUST'
3) Neil has adapted his own graphic novel 'DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING and he will direct his own script for that movie in the near future...
4) There's a short story featuring 'Shadow' from American Gods that has been published in an anthology somewhere...it's called LEGENDS...
I also met Neil's Mom and Dad and his first cousin... How cool is that? It's like I'm part of the family now! There were many hoots during the evening, indeed there was a bit during Neil's reading of 'The Death of Fat Charlie's Dad' where I snorted, directly into the lapel mike, causing convulsions of laughter in the audience and not a little shock at the alarming noise and a brief pause from Neil accompanied by a raised eyebrow.
All in all- it was a good night I think. So hurrah!
Look out for me on Pop World on T4 reviewing pop videos and I'm on Channel 5 news, and ROCK WITH LAUGHTER IS AT THE END OF THIS WEEK! Yikes ...I'm gonna get to meet G4.
I'll tell you how it all goes down next week.
Peace
Len
Hey, if you're into cools story telling in a black country (Dudley) stylee -check out my mate Greg Stokes' website website for details of short stories, black country nights out at the world famous Lamp Tavern in Dudley (I highly recommend these nights out, particularly as Greg's Uncle Des gets up and rocks the house with some very dodgy (but very funny) local dialect humour...Go ahead, check em out...
I also met this guy tonight who writes a blog every day and recently won a competition for Best Blog in the Universe or something. He's a nice bloke and has fascinating insights on all kinds of stuff ...his name is Alistair Coleman and you can catch his neat blog stuff on blogspot.com
Go ahead, knock yourself out.
Oh yeah... Chef series 3 is out soon on DVD -Woo hah!
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