March 2012
1 post
February 2012
1 post
January 2012
1 post
Yes we have no bananas
As a new year begins, a new series of pitches begins…including a new pitch idea that (gasp) doesn’t feature Baby Banana…
Documentary cameras were outside Technicolor headquarters in Hollywood California as Debi and writer extraordinaire Jim Staahl arrived to pitch their new series idea, one designed to appeal to “tweens” rather than Baby Banana’s pre-school...
December 2011
3 posts
Back to work
Exemplifying the show business adage “the show must go on,” Debi recently met with writer extraordinaire Jim Staahl to commence work on a new, non-Baby Banana project. The documentary crew was present to shoot footage of the writing session, and pleased to see Debi in good spirits as she and Jim resume their ever-congenial collaboration.
Continuing on....
Documentary cameras were on hand at Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village today as Debi took part in their annual fundraising Chanukah Boutique. Patrons admired the variety of Baby Banana items displayed and sales were brisk.
The documentary crew purchased a supply of Baby Banana Body Balm. And hereby challenges readers of this blog to say that three times fast.
November 2011
2 posts
Virginia Greenberg
It is with a heavy heart I report that Debi’s beloved mother, Virgina Greenberg, passed away today following a long battle with cancer. Posting on this blog has been light for the past several months because Debi has been focused on caring for her mother.
On a personal note, I’ve known Debi and her family for twenty years. Her mother was a wonderful lady, totally proud and supportive...
July 2011
2 posts
Comic-Con!
The documentary crew (me) traveled to beautiful San Diego this weekend for the awe-inspiring event that is Comic-Con International….
…where Debi was in attendance greeting fans….
…signing autographs for fans of Draculaura, her “Monster High” character…
….and selling Baby Banana books and CDs….
New interview
The documentary crew (me) just conducted a new interview with Debi, at which she brought us up to date about recent developments, in her usual animated style.
She also talked about her upcoming visit to Comic-Con in San Diego. Stay tuned….more details to come….
June 2011
1 post
Into the Wild
Sherman Oaks, California: Documentary cameras are on hand outside the Wild Brain studio as Debi and writer Jim Staahl leave their Thursday afternoon pitch meeting.
The verdict? “Cautiously optimistic,” said Jim.
May 2011
2 posts
Meeting!
Documentary cameras were on hand last week as Debi and writer extraordinaire Jim Staahl met for advice and support from the always awesome Fred Seibert.
April 2011
2 posts
Pitch hitch
Sorry to report that documentary cameras weren’t present today for Debi and Jim’s latest pitch meeting…permission to film the meeting was denied. The pitch took place at a studio that shall remain nameless but rhymes with Disney. Happily, the pitch went well. Debi and Jim were pleased, and cameras were on hand as they exited the Disney Channel building onto the...
March 2011
4 posts
Saturday matinee
Documentary cameras were on hand as Debi made a personal appearance in Sherman Oaks at the fabulous Arclight Cinemas. She was there to read passages from “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” prior to the screening of the new movie sequel….
A good time was had by all.
WatchIn a moment that probably won’t make the final cut, Mimi the pig falls asleep during an interview with Debi.
Mimi assures us it wasn’t an editorial comment….
The Mimi Report
Mimi is good.
Scenes you won't see in the doc...
Destined for the cutting room floor, here’s an outtake from the Henson shoot: the cameraman (uh, me) walks through the foreground of the shot…
Well, whew, at least he didn’t make matters worse by then walking into the background of the shot….
Uh, oops.
February 2011
5 posts
Pitch perfect
Documentary cameras were on hand as Debi and writer extraordinaire Jim Staahl pitched their revamped Baby Banana project at the fabulous Jim Henson Company in Hollywood.
What’s that you ask? Did they also include a musical ditty?
Yes!
Bloopers in the Land of Nod
To shoot her music video for “Baby Banana,” Debi traveled to a picturesque local park in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas. Her co-stars in the video were two adorable twin girls….
They were terrific actresses…but while the video crew shot take after take, no one realized one realized that one teensy-weensy detail had been overlooked….
…the shoot had been...
WatchToday’s Question: What does Spongebob think of Debi Derryberry?
WatchActor Rob Paulsen on hearing Debi’s name for the first time….
WatchIn one of my favorite interview quotes, Bob Bergen (the voice of Porky Pig) tells what he thought the first time he heard Debi’s name…
January 2011
11 posts
Technical difficulties....
Hmm, there seems to be some trouble with the Piccolo Chef embed code in the previous post. If the video doesn’t play, try this link:
http://piccolochef.com/
Life's a Pitch
Documentary cameras were on hand as Debi and writer extraordinaire Jim Staahl secretly put the finishing touches on their secret pitch materials that you didn’t hear about on this blog.
Confidentially, the pages for the pitch packet were created by Debi herself with the aid of handy dandy InDesign software, proudly plugged here. (You’re welcome, Adobe)
Among the pages are the...
Name that Toon
Design work continues on creating a cartoon version of Debi. This one is the leading contender. Baby Banana’s peeps are testing it with focus groups to see whether he has appeal.
Appeal. A peel. Get it? I love that one….
Other Documentaries I like....
“Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work” is not only a documentary that I like, it’s also one of my favorite films from 2010. Following a year in the life of the quintessential actress-comedienne, it is an engrossing look at a unique performer and the world in which she lives: show biz. And, like all good docs, this one supports the adage that, indeed, truth is stranger than...
Other Documentaries I like....
“From 1984 to 1994 a perfect storm of people and circumstances changed the face of animation forever.” That tagline beautifully sums up this terrific documentary about the rebirth of Disney Feature Animation.
Among my favorite moments: Super 8 footage shot circa 1980 by Randy Cartwright. Magnificent…
Stay Tooned
As part of developing her pitch for an animated series, Debi has been working on creating a cartoon version of herself to appear alongside Baby Banana and friends. With the assistance of a world-class cartoonist (me) she is exploring various approaches….
…meanwhile, Baby Banana says the most important thing is that he has appeal.
The Write Stuff
Documentary cameras were on hand recently for a productive writing session. What is being written and why?
Details to come…
Other Documentaries I like....
“Candyman” tells the story of David Klein, an eccentric inventor who dreamed up one of the most successful candies ever, Jelly Belly jellybeans. Mr. Klein is a fascinating character, and “Candyman” beautifully chronicles his amazing story. The film was produced by Bert Klein, my pal and David’s son. It’s a superb piece of documentary filmmaking, and I’m...
December 2010
3 posts
On the First Day of Bananamas....
…Baby Banana gave to meeeee…..
…a partridge in a licorice treeeee!!
New Speedy Spot!
The second in a series of new Alka Seltzer commercials is now airing, with Debi as the voice of the iconic character, Speedy.
In this installment, Speedy first uses his wand to create words in mid air….then blasts them to smithereens:
Which just goes to show: don’t mess with Speedy.
Shameless plug department
Debi displays the Mattel doll of her “Monster High” character “Draculaura.”
In stores now, perfect for holiday gift-giving.
November 2010
10 posts
Celebrity photos, part 11
Your blogmaster will resist the temptation to insert a short joke here.
Oops, guess he just did…
Happy Thanksgiving!
With thanks (and apologies) to Norman Rockwell….
Hint: It's Debi
Guess who has been cast as the new voice of commercial icon Speedy Alka Seltzer?!
Plop Plop Fizz Fizz
Remember Alka Seltzer’s classic commercial character Speedy Alka Seltzer? Well, he’s back! Yup, Speedy is starring in a new series of television spots airing right now….
What does this have to do with the documentary, you ask? Check back…Speedy will have the effervescent details!
Celebrity photos: Shogun Edition
Calling Dr. Kildare…
Question of the day
If the waiter at the Johnny Rockets diner in Seattle drew a picture of Jimmy Neutron in ketchup, what would it look like?
Yup, pretty much like this…
Shhhh!
The entire documentary crew (me) was on hand as Debi held a meeting with two potential participants in her Baby Banana project….whose identities are currently hush hush.
You didn’t read anything about this meeting on this blog. Now please close your browser, erase your hard drive and burn your computer. Thank you.
Non-secret meeting!
Documentary cameras were on hand last week as Debi met with the always awesome Fred Seibert for a discussion of various banana-related matters…
Fred has been a kind supporter not only of Debi and Baby Banana, but also of this blog and documentary project. Thanks Fred!
There's no business like shoe business
During her live concert performances, Debi wears a pair of custom-made sneakers:
“Say, how can I get a pair of personalized sneakers of my very own?” you ask…
Simple!…just cruise on over to the Converse website…
http://www.converse.com/?CSID=44_kwid/#/products/shoes/converseOne/scratch/all
…where you can choose your own style, color and clever slogan:
...
October 2010
11 posts
Bathing Mimi
Why are Debi and her good friend E.G at U Wash Doggie?
And why is Mimi the Pig being loaded into E.G’s spacious SUV?
Because, naturally, it’s bath time for Mimi.
After the bath:
Debi, E.G. and Mimi, who is clean, refreshed, and uh, mildly annoyed.