May 06, 2008

J.J. ABRAMS MENTIONS "SECRET FUN SPOT" IN ROLLING STONE!


In the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine (May 15, 2008) one of my most beloved cultural heroes, J.J. Abrams, does my site a tremendous honor...

(See the full piece here.)

It's difficult to express the joy this gives me without relying on high pitched yelps. 'Thrilled' is not the word... 'atingle' is only slightly more accurate. Grateful! Yes, that's it. Thank you J.J.

I wonder if there are a lot of folks currently rushing to the Secret Fun Spot thinking it's some new viral marketing campaign. If I were just a little more evil I'd swap out the regular site and upload fake production art for a Cloverfield sequel, or maybe some shots of "the new Star Trek crew" taken in my back yard... naked from the waist down.

Alas, I could never do such a thing because my feelings are completely mutual. Abrams is like an entertainment ambassador who serves as a representative for the childhood version of me. Spies... giant monsters... Star Trek! And then there's dear, sweet Lost; the only thing that can stir up the very feelings I had while watching Twilight Zone reruns before bedtime. At the same time, it manages to pluck the part of my brain that gets so excited by those classic lateral thinking puzzles. You know the ones; for example...
"A man and his wife raced through the streets. They stopped, and the husband got out of the car. When he came back, his wife was dead, and there was a stranger in the car." [Solution]
Those things have always given me such a creepy charge— just like Lost.

Could his upcoming show Fringe be anything but amazing? (A series that "mixes elements of "The X-Files" and Paddy Chayefsky's "Altered States" with what Abrams calls "a slight 'Twilight Zone' vibe." Sheesh!!) Did you know he directed an episode of The Office? Did I mention he's a huge S.S. Adams fan? I'm talking levels of fandom involving a fully stocked sales rack of pranks and magic tricks right in his office! (Not unlike the one I have.) Sorry for the love letter folks, but it's ridiculous the way his work represents just about everything I cherish.

Anyway, you can spot this issue by the tastefully classy, yet classically tasteful cover featuring The Hills gals on their way to an underwear parade. In compliance with the cultural standards, I had a subscription to Rolling Stone throughout my college career (and then some), so it's a blast to revisit the publication under these circumstances. However, reading it all these years later makes me feel so out of touch with the music scene. For instance, before I read this issue I knew so little regarding "the truth about The Hills" and even less about the $25,000-a-night escort service, but thankfully, now I'm hip again!

So now that you know there's a chance that J.J. could be reading, go ahead and fill up the comments section with your unsolicited movie concepts and nitpicky questions regarding any of his productions.

For further proof that Abrams is the master of secret fun watch J.J.'s chill-inducing presentation from the 2007 Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference...





(Thanks for the heads up Todd and Mike!)

9 comments:

Jamey Clayberg said...

YES. Man that was cool, I am vicariously pretending to know JJ now through you. It's super nice of him to do that, he could have been all political and mentioned some trade site or something. Rawk.

Anonymous said...

I'm with JJ. In a way I really don't want to watch Lost explain all its mysteries. Hopefully, in the very last episode, after the island is revealed for what it is there'll be a 'or is it?' moment just before the credits run.
He seems like a cool guy. Well he must be if he reads Secret Fun Spot!

Anonymous said...

That's so cool!! Do you feel like Lana Turner, being discovered at the lunch counter at Schwab's? Or maybe like Vic Damone, trapping Perry Como in an elevator and singing for him?

Seriously, what a neat thing. To get a shout out from J.J. Abrams! In ROLLING STONE, no less! Wow. Just wow.

David W. said...

This is such an amazing bit of coolness to have a Hollywood big shot like J.J. plug your site in a major publication.

To barrow the title of a Third Eye Blind song - you seem to live a semi-charmed life Kirk.

Anonymous said...

That is just plain neat on a stick Kirk. Congrats!

John Rozum said...

Nice plug for you, Kirk! Just when I was starting to worry that you decided to play inside a refrigerator in some empty lot somewhere and got locked inside, you've ended your long absence with a wealth of goodies. Glad to see you back in action.

Anonymous said...

J.J.

Wow, that was entertaining.

The ironic thing is that Tom's hand is in the mystery box. Hmmm


See you at the premiere? Wishful thinking.

See ya, Chris Doohan

Kirk D. said...

Jamey- all the more easy for you to play the "Six Degrees of JJ Abrams" game.

wil- I think Star Wars has demonstrated how revealing every mystery can suck the fun right out. I liked it when the Clone Wars and the origin of Boba Fett were left to my imagination.

vintage reader- thanks, and thanks for the mention on your blog too!
Hey, I do feel like Vic Damone. (although I always feel like him.)

david w.- Semi-charmed nuthin! I'm full-blown blessed to the hilt. :)

shawn- thanks! I realize I need to start using "on a stick" as a suffix more often.

rozum- Ha! thanks Rozum, it's nice to be missed. Now that you mention it, a cool 1950s streamlined fridge could easily lure me to my demise.

chris- What if he opened the mystery box on his deathbed and discovered every season of Lost inside. That would be the perfect Twilight Zone ending. I know I'd appreciate a Twilight Zone ending before my death.

Unknown said...

How'd I miss this post? Supercool, KirK D.!