This is the palm tree in my backyard....

And this time next week I hope to be sitting near it, drinking rum, surrounded by my family.

I can not wait.

Jumping into (and hopefully out of) the fire....

This guy looks like I feel...

Things are getting intense on the set as we close in on the last week of work on CHRISTMAS WITH THE DEAD. We've had some crazy times on this flick. And shot some wild stuff. The pressure is on as I try to bring this baby in by next Friday so the cast and crew can enjoy the July 4 holiday without fear of having to return to the set afterward and I can point my car west and achieve escape velocity in time to hold my dog's paw during the fireworks. He hates loud noises and likes to sit on my lap when he hears any. Which would be okay if he didn't weigh 90 pounds.

If you want a sonic glimpse into my current emotional state, this song comes pretty close:

I've been listening to this track a lot lately

Not sure why.....

Texas with the Dead (and near dead)

We've just barely crept past the halfway mark on Joe R. Lansdale's CHRISTMAS WITH THE DEAD. Two more weeks and we should be finished. I haven't had the time to look at all the footage yet, but what I have seen has been terrific. The Texas weather is even more brutal than I thought it would be. We shot a big scene out in the woods a few days ago and it was near triple digits in the middle of the night - and that was before we got the lights going. That's what's left of me in the picture above, sitting around with a zombie. I'm the one on the right.

Below is a shot of the crew after a long day.

If I have time I'm going to post some individual shots of the crew and introduce them to you over the next couple weeks. We have quite a few interesting characters working with us.

The Graduate Part 2

I posted the last set of photos from Brandon's high school graduation while waiting for the plane back to Texas. I didn't have a lot of time then and no time since, but I have a spare few minutes now and wanted to drop in a couple more shots of the big day.

Brandon with one of his favorite teachers, Ms. Zwick.

Another favorite teacher, Ms. Gregorio.

Brandon and his friend Brittni.

After the Graduation we went to Monty's Steakhouse for filet mignons.

Our waiter, vying for an extra tip, took this shot. Left to right: Our best friend, Sandra Petersen, Sterling, Brandon, Heidi, me.

You'll notice Sandra has a bandage around her hand. She has a tendency to reach for other people's food at the table. She tried to poach from the boys and she took a few forks in the arm.  Luckily Monty's is always prepared for this kind of thing and they managed to wrap her arm in about 30 seconds while she continued to eat. Pure professionalism from all parties involved.

That'll teach her. (Probably not.)

It was a great day.

The Graduate!

Hard to believe, but my youngest son, Brandon Alexander Barkley Lankford, graduated High School yesterday.

Here he is with his brother, Sterling, after the event.

Brandon with what's left of his father.


I couldn't be more proud. Congratulations, buddy!

Texas

We're four days into shooting on CHRISTMAS WITH THE DEAD in super hot Texas. So far it's been a crazy, intense, brutal and often funny experience, which I think perfectly mirrors the film we are making. The footage is looking great. I hope we can keep it up for the duration. It's hard to put what's going on down here into words but this video of The Wasp (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)/Love Me Two Times manages to do it very well. At very young ages, Jim Morrison and Robby Krieger knew how things worked in this wild world. I leave for L.A. tomorrow to see my son, Brandon, graduate from High School, but I'm back here on Thursday to keep sweating it out with the zombies.