Casting Trancers

digresssmlOriginally published April 2, 1993, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1011

The casting office was fairly small. Black-and-white glossies of hundreds of actors lined the walls and the floor, a permanent smiling audience.

The actor who had entered was a little taller than I was, and quite a bit slimmer. He was dressed in crisp black slacks and a black shirt buttoned to the neck. He had curly hair, a beard, and a face that was rugged, if not classically handsome. The casting director turned to me as the actor stuck out his hand to shake mine firmly. “Peter David,” said the director, “this is Ron Perlman. He’ll be reading for the part of Caliban. Ron, Peter here is the writer.”

When They Make a List of the Top Ten Bad Umping Calls of All Time…

…right up around the top will be the blown call that just cost Armando Galarraga, pitching for the Detroit Tigers, a perfect game.  The 27th batter for Cleveland was out at first by a step, a fact that was evident to everyone in the field and in the stands and the announcers calling the game (and made abundantly clear on the replays).  The only one who was unaware of it was the first base ump, who called him safe.

The ump may have to get out of Detroit very, very quickly.

PAD

So Let Me See if I’ve Got This Straight

People are shooting at Israelis from the Gaza strip.

Israel creates a floating blockade to make it harder to shoot at them.

People try to bring supplies in the name of humanitarian aid.

The Israelis say, Take your stuff to this port over here instead.  Don’t try to break the blockade because if you do, bad things will happen.

They try to break the blockade anyway, making it seem less about providing aid and more about, well, breaking the blockade.

Bad things happen.

It’s all Israel’s fault.

Got it.

PAD