"Did you write for SNL at the same time as Conan O'Brien did?"
I never really wrote for SNL. Robert Smigel started writing Saturday TV Funhouse on SNL after the Dana Carvey Show and I did a voice for Michael Jackson. I might have helped him with a joke or two for one of those scripts and he very generously gave me a writing credit.
"1) It was a real **beast** shame Moral Orel was cancelled in the end. I definitely felt your pain as it was one of my favorite shows in the history of the "channel" because it stood out from the rest: it was actually heartfelt. Do you believe the heads in [adult swim], reflecting now, regret pulling the plug on your show?"
No, I think Mike Lazzo canceled the show for a reason and he stands by that decision. And I defend his decision, no matter how painful it was to have a show aborted like that. I changed the character of Orel irreparably in his eyes and there was no going back. I, of course, had a plan to show episodes that took place pre-hunting trip using Orel's permanent limp as a clue for when the episode was occurring, which would have allowed us to keep telling the sillier stories alternately with the more serious stories, but that idea wasn't enough to keep the show alive.
"2) Starburns is one of the best characters on TV right now, IMHO. Do you think there could be a vehicle or even some webisodes that would star yourself, Magnitude, and Leonard in a study group of your own?"
I don't think there's much going on with that guy, quite honestly. He's really just a one-joke character.
"3) What would be the one thing you will outlaw/ban in the [adult swim] message board community?"
The idea of outlaw/banning.
"What was the best part of working on The Drinky Crow Show?
Also what are your impressions/experience while working on that show?"
The best part was seeing the show after it was completed. Not being much of a creative presence on Drinky and just coming in to read a couple of lines here and there made it all the more joyful to see that finished product.
My impressions of working on the show are just how disconnected I felt from the whole process. I didn't write or produce it so, like I said, I would read some stray lines every few weeks and then several months later the show was finished. I wouldn't even feel like I was part of the show. So much so, in fact, that when I was invited to the premiere party, I felt that it was such a nice gesture, and I intended to go, but got a little drunk during that day and went home early, not making the party. I didn't think much about it until members of the cast and crew asked me why I didn't go. Then it hit me. "Oh...wait. I'M Drinky Crow!" Not really, of course. Just the voice. But I really under estimated my significance to that project.
"In the show, Orel's mother often shows lots of neglect and dislike for her children, in a passive aggressive way. But rather than showing an arc in her character, it seems that it only gets worse. Now my question is this, was there really any affection for Orel or Shapey from Blobertta deep down in her character, or was she really so messed up? "
I think Bloberta, like many adults in that show, was severely troubled, and part of what was troubling her was the way she treated her children. Unfortunately, her hands were tied, so to speak, and couldn't break out of her pattern of quiet misery and coldness.
"Do you actually shape your facial hair into stars for the purpose of Community?"
I did for the first two seasons, but now the make-up dept. has a pretty realistic appliance ready for me when I show up to set.
"1) I was wondering, how far along is production for season 2 of Frankenhole?"
We're finished with production and mixing the episodes now.
"2) Can we expect anything controversial in season 2? Was there anything they wouldn't let you do?"
Controversial is in the eyes of the beholder. I'm sure someone's going to wince or be offended in some way at some point. In terms of something they wouldn't let us do: we had a Jewish character who said: "fakakta" and had to change it for some reason, even though we used the word unbleeped on Moral Orel.
"3) The rest of Moral Orel on DVD....will we get it?"
Only if you're Australian.
"What was your favorite project that you worked on and why?"
I think Moral Orel will always be my favorite project because of the freedom I was given while making it. That freedom, of course, was also the reason for its demise.
"Will you marry me?"
Probably. I don't take marriage too seriously.
"Even though it's sad how Moral Orel ended so prematurely to spite season three being my favorite season of any show ever, in hindsight are you OK with how Moral Orel ended, even if it wasn't the ending you had planned?"
Yeah, in some ways, the rushed ending was simpler and more beautiful than it would have ended up being if we stretched out the series.
"Are you satisfied with how Frankenhole has turned out so far?"
Not crazy about a few episodes in the first season, but pretty excited about season 2.
"If you had the option would you drop it to go work on Moral Orel again?"
I wouldn't willingly drop Mary Shelley's Frankenhole at this point. I'm too interested in the direction it's going.
"What's your favorite part about stop motion animation, and why did you decide to use stop motion animation over more traditional animation styles for Moral Orel and Frankenhole?"
I like the look and feel of stop-motion. Maybe because I dabbled in it when I was young, I have a fondness for it. Also, I am fascinated by these little inanimate things coming to life and actually showing emotion. Love it.
"youre a great dad.
is there anything youve done that you wont let her watch?"
Sometimes when I show her an episode of M.S. Frankenhole, I cough loudly during the off-color parts. Sometimes I forget though. Not that great of a dad...
"Where did you get the Idea for Moral Orel? I mean a misguided christian is a little out there."
Is it really that "out there"? Anyway, I've sneered your question a lot. Check out some of my other interviews. I had more time to answer back then.
"Would you say that Morel was a metaphor, or sort of represented you in that life? A young child, who saw his principals, but saw the illogical fallacies in them? Where did this story come from? "
I think when I first started writing it, I just had a premise and wrote it as silly as possible. As the series went on, it got a little more autobiographical. Not much, but I did begin empathizing with all of the characters more.
"What's the best part of having your daughter be a part of your shows? I know that when I have children, I'll be sure to wait for them to come out."
Not sure what you mean by "wait for them to come out" but I like casting my daughter because she's not really an actor and I get a lot of weird readings out of her. Turns out that, now that she's a preteen, she doesn't want to do this anymore. I'm okay with that. I'll just have to find another non-actor somewhere.
"How exactly is Frankenhole animated? The animations are so smooth!
Is there some secret to it? How is it different from stop motion (or is it the same?) "
The same. It's just that the animators are really really good.
"how was it like working on late night with conan o brien and all the other shows? do you know anything about hidden subliminal messages? (and WHAT do you know?) 
how often do you come here on the boards? "
Conan was fun when I was working on it. I was there in the very beginning, and that was very exciting. That was how it was with most of the shows I've worked on. No hidden messages as far as I know, unless they were hidden from me, too. I check out the boards once or twice a week.
"I know a lot of people on these boards have that one show that they were really upset when it was canceled or not renewed. For me that was The Drinky Crow Show.
What are your feelings about the cancellation? Do you feel that the show had so much more to offer the network? Or do you feel like it just wasnt working out?"
I have no idea why Drinky Crow didn't keep going. I wasn't the most objective audience member, but--as I've said--I also had some distance from the production end of things. And I thought it was a really good, fun show.
"What is it that you hope future viewers of Moral Orel will take away from this show, and what do you feel the message of the show should be going into these uncertain times we live in?"
I guess the most important message the show ended up having is that your future doesn't have to be decided for you by your past. The family you grew up with doesn't have to dictate how you behave when you have your own family. There's a certain beautiful randomness that makes the outcome of your life exciting in a positive way. Hopefully everything you experience can be spun into something of value, no matter how difficult it was to get through in the first place.
"Where did you plan on steering Moral Orel before it was cancelled?"
The same place it went when it was canceled, only a little more organically.
"Is there any one character that you have played / voiced over the course of your career so far that you would say is most like you? And similar, any one character that you've written over the course of your career so far that you would say is most like you?"
Very similar questions. And tough ones. Hard to say. I'm not really on actor, but I guess I instinctually bring myself into any role I'd play. Probably because I'm not really an actor. I never really lose myself in a role.
"Since this is the second time I can think of where you've interacted with us here on the ASMB, my question is how did interacting with the ASMB influence your creative drive if it did at all? How do you like dealing with a vocal fanbase?"
It always helps to discuss your work any way you can, so i feel this is a very valid and helpful way for me to explore what I'm creating.
"do you prefer to be called dino or mr. stamatopoulos? "
Dino
"how did you come up with morelton? i went to school at this place by the same name and we were the red devils. asking b/c it makes me think that i might have known you w/o knowing you. you look familiar. "
Moralton was conjured because I needed a place for all these characters who were "moral" to live. I didn't really grow up in a town like that.
"my question is when are u gona quit dilatant'n around
&make more moral orels??!!!!!11
also whats yer fav stuffed animal
2sleep with"
First questions answer: no comment
Second questions answer: I sometimes hug my pillow.
"Is it true that Zombie Vampier Fetus is your new work in progress?"
Nope.
"Will we ever see an Morel Oral DVD movie?"
Probably not.
"Will there ever be a Morel Oral and Frankenhole cross in the future?"
Possible...
"Hi this question is for dino, even tho i replied to masta....well lets see.....yes you posted to one of my posts in the mary shelly frankenhole folder! do you remember that? because i asked about the 'whats your poison' question when you were being interviewed by the swimcast. i get weird sometimes when i hear poison, i think it is for me HA!!! "
Yeah, I remember you.
DinoStamatopoulos wrote:
You may have opened up a can of weird worms of people looking for a long distance celebrity board wedding and a crack at half your stuff.
Board collective question for potential use in a board collection-collection:
If a drink were made / named for a character you've done, what would that drink be [and maybe a basic recipe if it's something completely novel]?
For the record, doesn't have to be alchoholic either.
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