To my readers:

I purposely delayed this newsletter because of the elephant (and donkey) in the living room. Now that America has chosen, we need to work together to defeat COVOID-19 and allow our economy to heal. And that’s the key to defeating this virus because it requires humanity to work together doing the right thing (masks, social distancing, contact tracing and isolation) in order to cut off C-19’s fuel supply… us.

Lots of MEG news in this update, including a special addition to the Sea Monster Cove private library I think every MEGhead will love.

Enjoy the update and please stay safe.

Steve Alten

A director has been named to man the helm of the MEG sequel… MEG-2: The TRENCH…

Read the article here: https://variety.com/2020/film/news/the-meg-2-director-ben-wheatley-rebecca-1234814538/#!

COMING THIS WEEK TO SEA MONSTER COVE!

For the kids: A coloring book featuring your favorite monsters from Sea Monster Cove.

 

For the adults and kids who don’t mind a little blood: Meet Barkley, our newest addition. Video and background story…

 

LATER THIS WEEK: A behind-the-scenes preview of Episode 1 of Where Sea Monsters Roam.

For every MEGhead who enjoyed the movie but wished it would have been closer to the novel -- available for the first time ever and only in my private library at SeaMonsterCove.com … MEG: The Steve Alten script. 

 

Huh? Alten wrote a script?

 

A quick backstory...

 

In 1996, Disney's Hollywood Pictures optioned the dramatic rights to MEG four months before the publishing rights were sold to Bantam/Doubleday. Over the next two years two subpar scripts (the story and characters unrecognizable to the novel) were written and rejected. Unfortunately, David Vogal, the head of the studio who optioned MEG was fired (unrelated) and MEG's dramatic rights reverted back to me. In 2005, New Line optioned MEG (along with a script written by me and TWISTER director Jan De Bont) but after the option was acquired NL hired a seasoned screenwriter to replace us. Disregarding the plot and characters in the novel, he wrote a Megalodon version of Moby Dick (Meggie Dick?). It didn't help that the studio head saw MEG as a "$75 million dollar OPEN WATER. More problems arose with undersold foreign rights... Thankfully, in 2008 the rights reverted back to me. I immediately released the multitude of producers attached to the project and optioned MEG's dramatic rights to a new friend, producer Belle Avery - the only person I trusted and believed could an would get the movie made the right way.

 

The first step was to create a new Alten/Avery script that was edgy and followed the novel -- a screenplay that would excite private investors and producers.

 

It is this script I am placing in the Sea Monster Cove library.

 

Taking nothing away from the script used in The MEG movie, (which was excellent) I love this screenplay! There are so many fun little moments that never made it to the big screen that I think you will really enjoy - and some huge action scenes straight out of the novel... including the T-Rex opening and the surfer sequence.

 

Though it was never used, Belle and I each received a writing credit for the script - we're both very humbled and grateful for that.

If you haven’t joined yet…now is the time! Access to this script alone is worth far more than .33 cents a day per household.

The cost of producing a TV series is astronomical. It takes a lot of people to pull this together. Actors, directors, lighting, sound, studio rental, costuming, CGI artists and many more talented people that have to be paid. Many donated their time but others could not afford to do so. This is why we’ve started a new Indiegogo fundraiser. Check out the site - we have some amazing gifts available for the first time ever - makes for a unique holiday gift.

The vagus nerve runs from your brain through your neck and chest to your abdomen. The function of the vagus nerve is to control your mood, heart rate, digestion, and immune response. Stimulating your vagus nerve can help to regulate many functions in your body.

If you’re an aging Baby Boomer like me you probably watched the Monkees on TV. Goin’ Down is all Mickey Dolenz and a great jazz band, and I’ve watched him sing it while running around Lincoln Financial Field in 1986. If you watched Breaking Bad, they also featured the song.  

Floatin' down the river. With a saturated liver And I wish I could forgive her

But I do believe she meant it. When she told me to forget it. And I bet she will regret it. When they find me in the morning wet and drowned. And the word gets 'round. Goin' down.

There were two church-going women gossiping in front of the store when a dusty old cowboy rode up. He tied up in front of the saloon, walked around behind his horse, lifted its tail and kissed the horse full on its rectum. Repulsed, one of the women asked, "That's disgusting, why did you do THAT?" To which the cowboy replied, "I've got chapped lips." Confused, the women continued, "Does that make them feel better?"

"No, but it stops me from licking them!" 

What’s the difference between a wife and a girlfriend? 45 pounds.

What’s the difference between a husband and a boyfriend? 45 minutes.

IF YOU HAVE A JOKE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, please e-mail to me at MEG82159@aol.com Put JOKE in the subject line.

1 - 1/4 pounds wild salmon fillet (see Tip) skinned and cut into 4 portions

1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt - divided

2 teaspoons canola oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

4 teaspoons unsalted butter - cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon green peppercorns in vinegar, rinsed and crushed

Sprinkle salmon pieces with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the salmon and cook until just opaque in the center, gently turning halfway, 4 to 7 minutes total. Divide among 4 plates. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add lemon juice, butter, peppercorns and the remaining pinch of salt; swirl the pan carefully to incorporate the butter into the sauce. Top each portion of fish with sauce (about 2 teaspoons each).

 

Tips: Wild-caught salmon from the Pacific (Alaska and Washington) is considered the best choice for the environment because it is more sustainably fished and has a larger, more stable population. Farmed salmon, including Atlantic, should be avoided, as it endangers the wild salmon population. To skin salmon, place fillet on a clean cutting board, skin side down. Starting at the tail end, slip the blade of a long, sharp knife between the fish flesh and the skin, holding the skin down firmly with your other hand. Gently push the blade along at a 30 degree angle, separating the fillet from the skin without cutting through either.

*IF YOU HAVE A RECIPE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, please e-mail to me at MEG82159@aol.com Put RECIPE in the subject line.

Your monthly dosage of smiles, brought to you once more by the 3 Pennsylvania delegates… I mean, 3 wise guys.

Stay safe… stay united… please wear a mask and wash your hands when returning home.

Steve Alten, Ed.D.

Steve Alten's Books