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There are those who think that James Cameron squandered a great opportunity to make a statement about disability. I think he did okay. It was cool that he had a paraplegic action hero, even if he spent most of the time puppeting an avatar body. The parts where Sully was a human being were quite well done, in my opinion. I’m certain the actor must have done some studying because he was believable as a paraplegic. I would not have been surprised if someone told me he was really disabled. Of course I was pretty certain he wasn’t just because that’s how things go. I later learned that the avatar bodies were all done with motion capture, so I suppose they really did need a non-disabled actor to do those parts. (Although I think they could have done...
Read MoreMemorial: Ilana Jonsson
April 14th, 1981 – January 17th, 2010 I am lost without your spirit and your energy, your opinions, your chatter, your zest. You were always like a mirror of me. We were friends for nine years and it should have been more. It should have been much more. At this time, I should be staying with you in your condo and helping out with your new baby. I should be gossiping with you and trading recipes and new tricks for housekeeping. I miss you so much, I can’t stand it. My heart is broken. The world does not make sense anymore, the pieces don’t add...
Read MoreQuantum Leap
This is an old one, something that’s been irking me for more than ten years (when I first saw this episode). Now is the perfect opportunity to get it off my chest. The premise of Quantum Leap is that there is this scientist Sam who “leaps” into different people’s bodies and takes over their lives for a short time in order to fix something that went wrong in that person’s life. It’s neat because you see lots of different characters and people in a variety of situations. Sam has a sidekick, Al, someone from his own time who appears to only him as a hologram and helps guide him in what he’s trying to fix. In one episode, Sam leaps into a Vietnam war vet who has just become a double above-the-knee amputee. To start with...
Read MoreDisabled Actors Found
It turns out, and I am beyond delighted to say this, there are disabled actors working in television. My friends told me about these: Robert David Hall as the coroner, Dr. Al Robbins, in CSI. Michael Patrick Thornton as Dr. Gabriel Fife in Private Practice Zach Weinstein as Sean Fretthold in an episode of Glee (too bad they had him just laying in bed the whole episode) “I just believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity to try for parts, whether they’re able-bodied or disabled,” Weinstein says. “And the best actor — whoever that is — should get it.” Well said, I couldn’t agree more. ETA: And more! http://www.tealsherer.com/ Teal Sherer, who has a recurring role on the webshow The Guild and is working on her own...
Read MoreAbove Suspicion
This is an old Christopher Reeve movie, from before his accident. In what I consider to be creepy irony, he plays a paraplegic. Sort-of. The basic plot is that there’s this cop who gets shot in the line of duty and paralyzed. Over time he starts thinking that his wife is cheating on him. He decides to kill her. It turns out that he actually is not paralyzed at all or no longer paralyzed or something. So he stands up and shoots her. Then he’s on trial and the entire trial focuses on the angle of the bullet wound and how he would have had to be standing up, but he can’t stand up because he’s paralyzed. In the most ridiculous dramatic act, the opposing counsel stabs a pair of scissors into his leg to prove his point and the cop manages to not...
Read MoreProgress Trackers
At proofreaders; available for pre-order
What Is Meant To Be
Second draft
Homework & Homicide (working title)
Second Draft
Book Montage
RFW winner October 7, 2011
