TVFilmCriticCentral

2009 Emmy® Nods for Writing

2009-07-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

The 61st Annual Emmy® Nominations were announced this morning. Below, are the writing nominees:

Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming
American Experience • The Trials Of J. Robert Oppenheimer • PBS
Writer: David Grubin

American Masters • Jerome Robbins: Something To Dance About • PBS
Writer: Amanda Vaill

Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business Of America • When I'm Bad, I'm Better—The Groundbreakers • PBS
Writers: Michael Kantor, Laurence Maslon

Penn & Teller: Bullshit! • New Age Medicine • Showtime
Writers: Penn Jillette, Teller, Star Price, Rich Nathanson, Michael Goudeau,
David Wechter, Cliff Schoenberg, Sheryl Zohn

Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired • HBO
Writers: Joe Bini, P.G. Morgan, Marina Zenovich

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Flight Of The Conchords • Prime Minister • HBO
Writers: James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie

30 Rock • Reunion • NBC
Writer: Matt Hubbard

30 Rock • Apollo, Apollo • NBC
Writer: Robert Carlock

30 Rock • Mamma Mia • NBC
Writer: Ron Weiner

30 Rock • Kidney Now! • NBC
Writers: Jack Burditt, Robert Carlock

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Lost • The Incident • ABC
Writers: Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof

Mad Men • A Night To Remember • AMC
Writers: Robin Veith, Matthew Weiner

Mad Men • Six Month Leave • AMC
Writers: Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Matthew Weiner

Mad Men • The Jet Set • AMC
Writer: Matthew Weiner

Mad Men • Meditations In An Emergency • AMC
Writers: Kater Gordon, Matthew Weiner

Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report • Comedy Central
Writers: Stephen Colbert, Allison Silverman, Richard Dahm, Michael Brumm, Rob Dubbin, Opus Moreschi, Peter Gwinn, Jay Katsir, Frank Lesser, Tom Purcell, Glenn Eichler, Peter Grosz, Barry Julien, Meredith Scardino, Writer

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart • Comedy Central
Head Writer: Steve Bodow
Writers: Jon Stewart, David Javerbaum, Josh Lieb, Rory Albanese, Kevin Bleyer, Jason Ross, Tim Carvell, John Oliver, Sam Means, Rob Kutner, J.R. Havlan, Rich Blomquist, Wyatt Cenac, Elliott Kalan, Rachel Axler

Late Night With Conan O'Brien • NBC
Head Writer: Mike Sweeney
Writers: Chris Albers, Jose Arroyo, Dan Cronin, Kevin Dorff, Andres du Bouchet, Michael Gordon, Berkley Johson, Brian Kiley, Todd Levin, Brian McCann, Guy Nicolucci, Conan O'Brien, Matt O'Brien, Brian Stack, Andrew Weinberg

Late Show With David Letterman • CBS
Head Writer: Eric Stangel, Justin Stangel
Writers: Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland, Steve Young, Tom Ruprecht, Lee Ellenberg, Matt Roberts, Jeremy Weiner, Joe Grossman, Bill Scheft, Bob Borden, Frank Sebastiano, David Letterman

Saturday Night Live • NBC
Head Writer: Seth Meyers
Writers: Doug Abeles, James Anderson, Alex Baze, Jessica Conrad, James Downey, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, John Lutz, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Simon Rich, Marika Sawyer, Akiva Schaffer, John Solomon, Emily Spivey, Kent Sublette, Jorma Taccone, Bryan Tucker

Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Special
81st Annual Academy Awards • ABC
Writers: Jon Macks, Jenny Bicks, Bill Condon, John Hoffman, Phil Alden Robinson, Bruce Vilanch
Special Material Written By: Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab, Ben Schwartz, Joel Stein

Chris Rock - Kill The Messenger • HBO
Writer: Chris Rock

Louis C.K.: Chewed Up • Showtime
Writer: Louis CK

Ricky Gervais: Out Of England – The Stand-Up Special • HBO
Writer: Ricky Gervais

Will Ferrell: You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush • HBO
Writer: Will Ferrell

Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
Generation Kill • Bomb In The Garden • HBO
Writer: David Simon

Grey Gardens • HBO
Writers: Michael Sucsy, Patricia Rozema

Into The Storm • HBO
Writer: Hugh Whitemore

Little Dorrit • PBS
Writer: Andrew Davies

Taking Chance • HBO
Writers: LtCol Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret.), Ross Katz

The Emmy Awards Winners will be announced on Sunday, September 20th. For a complete list of Emmy Nominations, go to www.emmys.org.

Film Independent Announces Line-Up for 2009 LA Film Festival

2009-05-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced the official selections for the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Film Festival will run from Thursday, June 18 to Sunday, June 28. Now in its 15th year, the Los Angeles Film Festival is widely recognized as a world-class event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema and providing the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.

The 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen over 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries.For the first time this year, international films will be included in the narrative and documentary competition categories.

“The 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival is a celebration of culture, cinema and community: a festival where everyday movie lovers can see films they otherwise might not see, hear first-hand from the artists and filmmakers that inspire them, and get a sneak peek at the great movies of the summer,” said Los Angeles Film Festival Director Rebecca Yeldham. “It’s a beautiful program, and I can’t wait to share it with our audiences.”

“We’re very proud to be sharing a collection of outstanding work with the Los Angeles public this year,” said Los Angeles Film Festival Director of Programming Rachel Rosen. “Whether it’s discovering exciting new filmmaking talent, seeing an anticipated film from a favorite director, or getting an in-depth look at a beloved classic, audiences have a range of unique film experiences to choose from in the Festival slate.”

“Our goal at Film Independent is to represent the breadth of stories being told and to reflect the issues that are happening on a local and global level through the art of cinema,” said Dawn Hudson, Executive Director of Film Independent. “With the Los Angeles Film Festival, we at Film Independent further support our year-round work of cultivating a community of filmmakers and filmgoers alike.”

Universal Pictures’ action-thriller Public Enemies will screen as the Centerpiece Premiere at this year’s Festival. Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard in the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger (Depp)--the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover’s fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Bale), and a folk hero to much of the public.

The 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival will screen more than 70 feature films, 70 shorts, and 50 music videos.

Narrative Competition (7):

The Narrative Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Target Filmmaker Award, which carries a $50,000 unrestricted grant funded by Target. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors. Films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature.

• Dear Lemon Lima, Suzi Yoonessi – WORLD PREMIERE

• Harmony & Me, Bob Byington

• Hollywood, je t’aime, Jason Bushman – WORLD PREMIERE

• Passenger Side, Matt Bissonnette – Canada - WORLD PREMIERE

• Turistas, Alicia Scherson – Chile – U.S. PREMIERE

• Wa Do Dem (What They Do), Sam Fleischner, Ben Chace – WORLD PREMIERE

• Zero Bridge, Tariq Tapa – USA/India – U.S. PREMIERE

Documentary Competition (7):

The Documentary Competition is comprised of films made by talented emerging filmmakers that compete for the Target Documentary Award, which carries a $50,000 unrestricted grant funded by Target. The winner is determined by a panel of jurors. Films in this section are also eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature.

• After the Storm, Hilla Medalia – WORLD PREMIERE

• Bananas!*, Fredrik Gertten - Sweden – WORLD PREMIERE

• Branson, Brent Meeske – WORLD PREMIERE

• Convention, AJ Schnack

• The Last Beekeeper, Jeremy Simmons

• October Country, Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher – WORLD PREMIERE

• Those Who Remain, Juan Carlos Rulfo, Carlos Hagerman – Mexico - U.S. PREMIERE

International Showcase (21):

The International Showcase highlights innovative independent narrative and documentary features from outside of the United States. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.

• Adhen, Rabah Ameur-Zaimeche – France/Algeria

• Autumn, Özcan Alper – Turkey

• Birdwatchers, Marco Bechis – Italy/Brazil (IFC Festival Direct)

• Bronson, Nicolas Winding Refn – England (Magnolia Pictures)

• Calimucho, Eugenie Jansen – Netherlands

• Call If You Need Me, James Lee – Malaysia – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

• Carmen Meets Borat, Mercedes Stalenhoef – Netherlands

• City of Borders, Yun Suh – Israel

• Elementary Training for Actors, Martín Rejtman – Argentina – INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

• Extraordinary Stories, Mariano Llinás – Argentina

• High-Rise, Gabriel Mascaro – Brazil – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

• Los Bastardos, Amat Escalante – Mexico (Kino International)

• Mid-August Lunch, Gianni di Gregorio – Italy

• My Dear Enemy, Lee Yoon-ki – South Korea

• Our Beloved Month of August, Miguel Gomes – Portugal/France

• The Queen and I, Nahid Persson Sarvestani – Sweden (7th Art Releasing)

• Sacred Places, Jean-Marie Téno – France/Cameroon

• Stella, Sylvie Verheyde – France

• Unmade Beds, Alexis Dos Santos – England (IFC Festival Direct)

• A Week Alone, Celina Murga – Argentina

• West of Pluto, Henry Bernadet, Myriam Verreault – Canada

Summer Showcase (11):

The Summer Showcase section offers an advance look at this summer’s most talked about independent film releases from the festival circuit. Films in this section are eligible for Audience Awards for Best International Feature, Best Narrative Feature, or Best Documentary Feature.

• 35 Shots of Rum, Claire Denis – France (Cinema Guild)

• Big River Man, John Maringouin

• Cold Souls, Sophie Barthes (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

• Facing Ali, Pete McCormack (Lionsgate)

• Humpday, Lynn Shelton (Magnolia Pictures)

• In the Loop, Armando Iannucci – England (IFC Films)

• It Might Get Loud, Davis Guggenheim (Sony Pictures Classics)

• No Impact Man, Laura Gabbert & Justin Schein

• Paper Heart, Nicholas Jasenovec (Overture Films)

• Still Walking, Hirokazu Kore-eda – Japan (IFC Films)

• We Live in Public, Ondi Timoner

Free Screenings (8):

• Amreeka, Cherien Dabis (National Geographic Films) – Project:Involve Screening

• Crude Oil, Wang Bing – China – NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

• Election, Alexander Payne (1999) – 10th Anniversary

• Ghostbusters, Ivan Reitman (1984) – 25th Anniversary

• Hot Rod Girl, Leslie H. Martinson (1956)

• How I See It: Youth Filmmaking From Streets to Streams,

• The Muppet Movie, James Frawley (1979) – 30th Anniversary

• Those Who Remain, Juan Carlos Rulfo, Carlos Hagerman – Mexico - U.S. PREMIERE

This Festival’s Opening and Closing Night Films, Guest Director, Artists in Residence, and special guests – as well as programming for the Festival Talks, Director Lunch Talks, Coffee Talks, Kodak Focus and the Financing Conference – will be announced shortly.

Passes to attend the Festival are available immediately for Film Independent members, and beginning May 18 for the general public. In addition to screenings and events, Festival passes provide access to a series of networking receptions and entry to the ZonePerfect live.create. lounge, where Festival pass holders can interact with Festival filmmakers and professionals in the film community. General admission tickets to individual films go on sale beginning May 29. Contact the Festival Ticketing Center for passes, tickets and event information by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866.345-6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com. Festival Passes and tickets can also be purchased in person beginning on Friday, June 12 at the Festival Ticketing Center located at 1038 Westwood Blvd.

For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.FilmIndependent.org.

Write On! Online Author Q&A: Dustin Lance Black

2009-02-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to interview Oscar®-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, Milk, back in January at the Critics Choice Awards (where he won Best Writer). Since then, his screenplay—about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official—has been recognized by BAFTA, the Chicago Film Critic Association, Writers Guild of America (Best Original Screenplay as well as the Paul Selvin Honorary Award, which recognizes written work that embodies the spirit of constitutional rights and civil liberties), and others, including last weekend’s double-whammy screenwriting nods: the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and the Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay.

Read the interview, this week's Author Q&A, at Write On! Online.

The Film Independent 2009 Spirit Awards

2009-02-21T18:10:00.000-08:00

Film Independent presented the 2009 Spirit Awards on the beach in Santa Monica on Saturday, February 21. A celebration honoring films made by filmmakers who embody independence and who dare to challenge the status quo, the Spirit Awards-- which began as a small grassroots program--has grown into one of the most anticipated events of the film year.

BEST PICTURE
The Wrestler, Producers: Darren Aronofsky and Scott Franklin

BEST DIRECTOR
Tom McCarthy, Director, The Visitor

BEST SCREENPLAY
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Written by Woody Allen

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Synecdoche, New York, Director: Charlie Kaufman, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, and Sidney Kimmel

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Milk, Writer: Dustin Lance Black

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (for the Best Feature made for under $500,000)
In Search of a Midnight Kiss, Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge, Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
James Franco, Milk

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Melissa Leo, Frozen River

BEST MALE LEAD
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Maryse Alberti, The Wrestler

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Class, Director: Laurent Cantet

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Man on Wire, James Marsh

Heather Rae, producer of Frozen River and Ibid, received the 13th annual Piaget Producers Award, which honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The winner of the Producers Award receives an unrestricted grant of $25,000 funded by Piaget.

Lynn Shelton, director of My Effortless Brilliance, won the 16th annual Acura Someone To Watch Award, a $25,000 unrestricted grant created to honor a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award is funded by Acura.

Margaret Brown, director of The Order of Myths, won the 15th annual LACOSTE Truer Than Fiction Award, presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant attention. The award is accompanied by a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LACOSTE.

Also given was the 2nd annual Robert Altman Award, given to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast. Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut Synecdoche, New York received this award, along with casting director Jeanne McCarthy, and ensemble cast members Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, and Michelle Williams.

For more information, go to http://www.spiritawards.com/.

A Healthy Energy Solution for Creative People … Started by a Creative Person

2009-02-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

Screenwriter Declan Daly became a writer by accident.

“When I first got out of college I took a temp job working for a finance company,” he recalls. “One day, we were talking about people we dated in college. I told my story, and someone had said that it should be a movie.” The idea appealed to Daly, so he started reading screenwriting books at lunch, and then working on the screenplay when he had down time in the afternoons. He was writing a romantic comedy, and “fell in love with writing” in the process.

“I love the rush when you randomly come up with ideas that move your story forward,” he says.

At the time, Daly worked across the street from the World Trade Center. After 9/11, he realized life was too short, and left his unfulfilling finance job and did some soul searching. “I wrote a screenplay that I am currently trying to produce myself about being single in New York City. I took a temp job with an ad agency, since I was around some creative people, then ended up then at a fragrance company working as a sales analyst.”

It was during the time of writing and working full-time that Daly came up with the idea for Foculate.

“A lot of writers I knew talked about how they were so mentally fatigued by the time they had a chance to write that they ended up writing garbage,” he explains. “A lot of them would take drastic measures to try to get into the zone, such as massive amounts of coffee, prescription drugs, or a smorgasbord of herbal supplements. It just left them jittery and even in a worse state. All the energy in the world isn't any good if it isn't focused.

“It's like trying to stab a cereal box with a spoon: all the force in the world won’t pierce it,” he elaborates. “But if you use a knife when attacking a cereal box, then it's focused and much more effective.”

Daly took the idea of finding a focused, comprehensive energy supplement, and talked to some venture capitalists. “We searched out the top experts in nutrition and health. We spoke to nutritionists, doctors, herbalists, you-name-it, to finally come up with the formula to create a focused energy, without the jitters, that increases blood flow to the brain so that you are at your top capability when need be. It also has a cumulative effect so that you are much sharper the more you take it.”

So, by becoming a writer by accident, Daly helped create something for those writers who fell into the field on purpose. And, as a writer, Daly knows what writers need. “A lot of writers block is stress and anxiety, so we added some herbal ingredients so you are in a much calmer state of mind,” Daly says. “And it also infuses you with energy and focus.

“My cousin's boyfriend in Ireland is a professional screenwriter,” Daly relays. “He had a deadline for a rewrite and had horrible writers block. I sent him over a bottle and he broke through the block and said it was his best draft that he could possibly imagine.”

For more information on Foculate,
Visit: www.foculatelabs.com

WGA 2009 Award Winners

2009-02-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) tonight announced the winners of the 2009 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for screen, television, radio, news, promotional, and videogame writing at simultaneous ceremonies at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and the Hudson Theatre at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City.

SCREEN WINNERS

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Slumdog Millionaire, Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup, Fox Searchlight Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY:
Waltz with Bashir, Written by Ari Folman, Sony Pictures Classics

TELEVISION WINNERS

DRAMATIC SERIES:
Mad Men, Written by Lisa Albert, Jane Anderson, Rick Cleveland, Kater Gordon, David Isaacs, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Marti Noxon, Robin Veith, and Matthew Weiner; AMC

COMEDY SERIES:
30 Rock, Written by Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Donald Glover, Andrew Guest, Matt Hubbard, Jon Pollack, John Riggi, Tami Sagher, and Ron Weiner; NBC

NEW SERIES:
In Treatment, Written by Rodrigo Garcia, Bryan Goluboff, Davey Holmes, William Merritt Johnson, Amy Lippman,and Sarah Treem; HBO

EPISODIC DRAMA – any length – one airing time:
“Pilot” (Breaking Bad), Written by Vince Gilligan; AMC

EPISODIC COMEDY – any length – one airing time:
“Succession” (30 Rock), Written by Andrew Guest & John Riggi; NBC

LONG FORM – ORIGINAL – over one hour – one or two parts, one or two airing times:
Recount, Written by Danny Strong; HBO

LONG FORM – ADAPTATION – over one hour – one or two parts, one or two airing times:
John Adams, “Episode 1, Join or Die,” Teleplay by Kirk Ellis, Based on the book by David McCullough; “Episode 2, Independence,” Teleplay by Kirk Ellis, Based on the book by David McCullough; HBO

ANIMATION – any length – one airing time
“Apocalypse Cow” (The Simpsons), Written by Jeff Westbrook; Fox

COMEDY/VARIETY – (INCLUDING TALK) SERIES:
Saturday Night Live, Head Writers Seth Meyers, Andrew Steele, Paula Pell, Writers Doug Abeles, James Anderson, Alex Baze, Jessica Conrad, James Downey, Charlie Grandy, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Simon Rich, Marika Sawyer, Akiva Schaffer, Robert Smigel, John Solomon, Emily Spivey, Andrew Steele, Kent Sublette, Jorma Taccone, and Bryan Tucker, Additional Sketches by Robert Carlock; NBC

COMEDY/VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS:
2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Written by Billy Kimball, Aaron Lee, Jennifer Celotta,and Rainn Wilson; IFC/AMC

DAYTIME SERIALS:
As the World Turns, Written by Jean Passanante, Leah Laiman, Courtney Simon, Lisa Connor, David A. Levinson, Peter Brash, Richard Culliton, Susan Dansby, Cheryl Davis, and Leslie Nipkow; CBS

VIDEOGAME WRITING
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Writers Haden Blackman, Shawn Pitman, John Stafford and Cameron Suey, LucasArts

The Writers Guild of America, West presented special honors to: William Blinn – Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television; Dustin Lance Black (Milk) – Paul Selvin Award; Carl Reiner and Victoria Riskin – Valentine Davies Award; Larry DiTillio – Morgan Cox Award; and Suso D’Amico for the WGAW’s first-ever Jean Renoir Award for Screenwriting Achievement.

The Writers Guild of America, East presented special honors to: John Patrick Shanley - Ian McLellan Hunter Lifetime Achievement Award; Norman Stiles – Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence; The Committee To Protect Journalists accepted by Board Chairman Paul Steiger and Executive Director Joel Simon – Evelyn F. Burkey Award for contributions bringing honor and dignity to writers everywhere; Chris Albers and Tom Fontana - Jablow Award for devoted service to the Guild; and Sarah Tobianski - John Merriman Award for Study of Broadcast Journalism at American University. In addition, the Writers Guild of America, East Foundation presented the first Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting to Sara Van Acker of New York University.

For a complete list of winners and/or more information about the 2009 Writers Guild Awards, please visit www.wga.org or www.wgaeast.org.

"Starter Wife" Premieres Tonight - 10/10/08 - on USA Network

2008-10-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

Last summer, The Starter Wife mini-series became a must-see event. This fall, with scribes Sara Parriott and Josanna McGibbon on board, USA Network hopes The Starter Wife series inspires the same must-see fever.

Check out my interview with showrunners Sara Parriott and Josanna McGibbon in September/October script magazine's "The Small Screen" column.

For more information:
www.scriptmag.com
www.usanetwork.com/series/starterwife

Also, read my guest blog about the show in The TV Guy column:
www.macon.com/thetvguy

2008 Sublime Primetime

2008-09-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

On September 17, 2008, the Writers Guild of America West hosted 2008 Sublime Primetime, a panel discussion of Emmy-nominated writers. A feeling of camaraderie and respect was in the air as writers in the areas on comedy and drama, miniseries and movie, came together on stage in Beverly Hills to discuss their craft, journey, and creative process.

Larry Wilmore (The Office, The Bernie Mac Show, creator) moderated the panel of Emmy-nominated writers: Mad Men's Robin Veith and Matthew Weiner (creator); Danny Strong, Recount; Kirk Ellis, John Adams; and Bryan Fuller, Pushing Daisies.

Kirk Ellis, John Adams, and Danny Strong, Recount, are both nominated for Emmys in the category of Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special.

Larry Wilmore with panelists Robin Veith and Matt Weiner of Mad Men. Robin and Matt, whose series was nominated for two writing Emmy's: Matt for the Mad Men pilot--"Smoke Gets in your Eyes" and Matt and Robin for "The Wheel." Mad Men was nominated for a total of 16 Emmy's, including Best Drama Series, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (also for the pilot), and Lead Actor for Jon Hamm.

Bryan Fuller, creator of Pushing Daisies, with boyfriend Scott Roberts (left). Fuller's Pie-Lette for Pushing Daisies, about a pie-maker who brings people back to life with one touch and sends them back with another, is nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Lee Pace, who plays Ned (the main character who gave his childhood sweetheart the touch of life and kept her there) is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

WGA West President Patric M. Verrone with Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner.

The 60th Annual Emmy Awards will br broadcast on Sunday, September 21, on ABC. For more information, go to www.emmys.org

Comic-Con Chat with Filmmaker James Gunn

2008-07-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Comic-Con International is more than a sneak peak into what’s coming soon in movies, TV, graphic novels, and the like. It’s an excellent opportunity for fans and up-and-comers to connect with industry professionals. And for entertainment pros to connect with their audiences.

“Interacting with the fans is the main thing,” says filmmaker James Gunn (Slither, Dawn of the Dead). “You work in a vacuum when you make movies. You make the stuff, you put it out there. Going to Comic-Con—seeing these people who [are your friends in the MySpace world]—is a neat experience.”

Gunn is currently filming the VH-1 reality show Scream Queens—Gunn, actress Shawnee Smith, and acting coach John Hom are judges; the winner will be cast in a Lionsgate movie—and was at the fest promoting another new project: Comedy pilots by horror directors made exclusively for Xbox LIVE. Gunn and producer Peter Safran (Scary Movie, Meet the Spartans) are giving horror directors, such as James Wan (Saw), Andrew Douglas (The Amityville Horror) and Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th), the opportunity to bring their comedic visions to life.

Gunn’s pilot for Xbox, in which he directs and stars, is called“Humanzee! It’s a sitcom about his human-chimp hybrid son, played by Gunn’s brother, Sean Gunn, from Gilmore Girls. The pilots start airing this fall

“Comic Con has really become a huge part of the movie industry,” Gunn says. “It's a place where we debut new material.

“We've been working on these XBox shorts now for quite a few months,” he continues. “We've been holding back on the announcement, because we wanted to debut it at Comic-Con.”

Gunn got his break as a screenwriter when he wasn’t expecting it. In college, Gunn applied for a part-time job filing papers at famed B-movie studios Troma Entertainment. He ended up writing the screenplay for a movie called Tromeo & Juliet instead, for which he was paid $150. In 1997, the film became a cult hit, playing in theaters around the world, including over a year of midnight screenings in Los Angeles.

While, as a screenwriter, the key to success is to write, Gunn believes there’s another element a screenwriter must keep in mind.

“You have to be open,” he says “There's a delicate balance between chasing your dreams and being open to the dreams that you don't know exist.

“There were other things in life that I wanted to do when I was younger, and I really had to listen to the world, put my ear to the ground, to see where my talents truly lie.”

Part of it was about what Gunn wanted to do, but he also wanted to discover how he could be self-fulfilled through making entertainment that helps others.

“A lot of the stuff I do is really stupid,” Gunn says. “I make a show called Humanzee!, I made movie[s] called Slither and Dawn of the Dead.

“But when I was a kid what really meant something to me was listening to the records of Alice Cooper or watching the movies of David Cronenberg—those things made me feel like less of an outcast, that's what I normally felt like. I felt like there was something out there, somebody out there as weird as I was. That meant a lot to me.

“And when I get those emails from those kids on MySpace or whatever who feel that same way about the stuff I did, there's nothing better in the world. That's the best possible experience.”

It's in the Bag: Baghead's Jay & Mark Duplass

2008-07-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

Baghead, which opens in limited release today, is just the right amount of twisted. The latest film, written and directed by The Duplass Brothers (The Puffy Chair), is a romantic comedy that kind of gets hijacked by a horror movie.

Baghead is about a group of struggling actors (played by Greta Gerwig, Elise Mueller, Ross Partridge, and Steve Zissis) who, after attending the Los Angeles Underground Film Festival, are “inspired” to go to the woods for the weekend to make a film that would turn them all into stars. The usual problems—romantic entanglements, unrequited love, jealousy—take a backseat when a maniac “Baghead” starts terrorizing them.

When audiences see this movie, “people are alternately either laughing or screaming,” Mark says. “Or sometimes they yelp and then they laugh at themselves, because ‘It’s just a bag. Why am I screaming?’”

“That has been our favorite part of watching this movie,” Jay adds, “that laughter-screaming combo thing. Trying to figure what the hell people are reacting to and watching them go through it is like really a joy.”

Jay and Mark Duplass didn’t set out to make a “let’s-make-a-movie” movie.

“It just happened to be what we knew about,” Mark says. “The last couple years of our life we spent a lot of time on the festival circuit, so we were around these people.”

Being authorities on the subjects of their movies is essential.

“[Baghead is] about people who are desperately trying to achieve their goals,” Mark says. “That’s kind of us. We actually tried to shy away from the film within a film element in the editing process, and really just focused on the characters.

“We’re making fun of ourselves as much as anybody else in this movie. We like to have [actors] who comfortable enough in their skin to poke a little fun.”

Although they have had offers, the brothers have stayed away from the studio systems … at least thus far.

“This is a process of discovery,” Jay says. “And it’s not a process of machination.

“We go out to an environment with our friends and our collaborators, and we are discovering what this film is going to be. And we want to protect that process.

“In particular with this film, it’s about desperate, unknown actors. And one of the key ingredients that a studio was going to want was to put famous people in the movie. And it wouldn’t have made sense. The second side of it was that the studios inherently wanted to move it more toward a horror film because it would be much more marketable, and we totally get that. But at the same time we were more interested in making a relationship movie that was funny, that also was scary; in trying to get that tone right; and [in making] something that was unpredictable.”

The brothers’ filmmaking process is very much collaborative from the get-go.

“Pretty much what we do is we structure the movie out together, and we come up with the spine of the film, so it really has a solid arc,” explains Mark. “We believe if you’re going to make a shaggy, loose, improvised movie, you’d better have a smoking plot to get yourselves towards the climax; a combination of the slow and the fast.

“Then I take one of these Dictaphones and I speak out the whole script … really quickly… so you get natural dialogue,” he continues, “but it’s usually a mess. And we transcribe that and then Jay quality controls it, helps fix it up.

“Likewise on the back-end of the process, when the editing is going on, Jay and Jay Deuby, our editor, are plowing through the footage. Then I’ll stay a little bit more objective in that process and do [quality control] there.”

Jay and Mark Duplass live by the “two heads are better than one” philosophy throughout their work process.

“There will often be an unspoken thing that happens between us,” Mark says, “whether it’s an interview or we’re directing or we’re writing or editing, where it will become really obvious to us within the first half hour of showing up, that one of us is more on than the other one.”

Without even saying anything, the brothers will know who is in charge that day and who will be the trusty sidekick!

The Duplass brothers’ film set is a positive and creative environment.

“We’re not very auteur-oriented people,” Jay says. “We’re not like, ‘this is my vision, and we’re going to shove it down your throat.’

“We’re really just looking to our actors and looking to each other to find something that’s inspiring on-set.”

For more information, go to http://www.sonyclassics.com/baghead/

Emmy Nominations

2008-07-17T05:49:00.000-07:00

This morning, the nominations for the 60^th Primetime Emmy® Awards were announced. Here are some of the highlights:

Outstanding Drama Series

Boston Legal, ABC

Damages, FX Networks

Dexter, Showtime

House, FOX

Lost, ABC

Mad Men, AMC

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series

James Spader as Alan Shore • Boston Legal, ABC

Bryan Cranston as Walt White • Breaking Bad, AMC

Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan • Dexter, Showtime

Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House • House, FOX

Gabriel Byrne as Paul • In Treatment, HBO

Jon Hamm as Don Draper • Mad Men, AMC

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series

Sally Field as Nora Holden-Walker • Brothers & Sisters, ABC

Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson • The Closer, TNT

Glenn Close as Patty Hewes • Damages, FX Networks

Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC

Holly Hunter as Grace Hanadarko • Saving Grace, TNT

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

William Shatner as Denny Crane • Boston Legal, ABC

Ted Danson as Arthur Frobisher • Damages, FX Networks

Zeljko Ivanek as Ray Fiske • Damages, FX Networks

Michael Emerson as Ben • Lost, ABC

John Slattery as Roger Sterling • Mad Men, AMC

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series

Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt • Boston Legal, ABC

Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Walker-Whedon • Brothers & Sisters, ABC

Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey • Grey’s Anatomy, ABC

Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang • Grey’s Anatomy, ABC

Dianne Wiest as Dr. Gina Toll• In Treatment, HBO

Outstanding Comedy Series

Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO

Entourage, HBO

The Office, NBC

30 Rock, NBC

Two And A Half Men, CBS

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk • Monk, USA

Steve Carell as Michael Scott • The Office, NBC

Lee Pace as Ned • Pushing Daisies, ABC

Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy • 30 Rock, NBC

Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper • Two And A Half Men, CBS

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell • The New Adventures Of Old Christine, CBS

Christina Applegate as Samantha Newly • Samantha Who?, ABC

Tina Fey as Liz Lemon • 30 Rock, NBC

America Ferrera as Betty Suarez • Ugly Betty, ABC

Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin • Weeds, Showtime

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series

Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold • Entourage, HBO

Kevin Dillon as Johnny Drama • Entourage, HBO

Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson • How I Met Your Mother, CBS

Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute • The Office, NBC

Jon Cryer as Alan Harper • Two And A Half Men, CBS

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook • Pushing Daisies, ABC

Jean Smart as Regina Newly • Samantha Who?, ABC

Amy Poehler as Performer • Saturday Night Live, NBC

Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper • Two And A Half Men, CBS

Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater • Ugly Betty, ABC

For a complete list, go to www.emmys.org.

2008 LA Film Festival Winners

2008-06-30T23:27:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the winners of the 2008 LA Film Festival!

- Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature: The Prince of Broadway, directed by Sean Baker, written by Baker and Darren Dean (above)

- The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: The Wackness, written and directed by Jonathan Levine

- Jury Prize for Best Performance went to Jennifer Lawrence who starred in Lori Petty's autobiographical The Poker House

- Best Narrative Short Film: Magic Paris, written and directed by Alice Winocour

- Best Animated or Experimental Short Film: I Have Seen the Future, directed by Cam Christiansen, written by Kris Demeanor, animated by Christiansen and Scott Underhill

- The Audience Award for Best Short Film: Frankie, written and directed by Darren Thornton

* * *

- Target Documentary Award for Best Documentary Feature: Loot, written and directed by Darius Marder

- The Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: Anvil! The Story of Anvil, directed by Sasha Gervasi

- A Special Documentary Jury Commendation was awarded to Pressure Cooker, directed by Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker (below)

- The Audience Award for Best International Feature: Man on Wire, directed by James Marsh

- Best Documentary Short Film: City of Cranes, directed by Eva Weber

- The Audience Award for Best Music Video: "Run,” directed by Melanie Mandl, music by Air

Santa Barbara City College Film Students Enjoy the Festival

2008-06-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

Santa Barbara City College offers a Festival Studies Program in conjunction with the LA Film Fest, thanks to Instructor and Film Studies Program Chair Nico Maestu. Classwork includes multiple daily screenings, blog postings, and instruction/"office hours" at the festival.

Student blogs can be read at http://filmreviews.sbcc.edu

Maestu with students Richard Feilden, Simona & Frances Rozhko, and Jackie Lopez at the LA Film Festival.

"I like meeting everybody. Getting conversations going," says student Jackie Lopez. "As a film student, I feel like I’m getting more out of it than watching movies for sure."

Lopez's favorite film of the fest, she says, is The Garden.

"Not a dry eye in the house," she continues. "[Scott Hamilton Kennedy] made a beautiful movie.

"By the end of the movie, whether you started off knowing anything [about the LA Community Garden] or not, you want to fight for their cause. Everyone should see this. "

The Garden, just one of the amazing films--and learning experiences--at this year's festival, will be screening again on Friday, July 27.

The best part of LAFF for Maestu?

"Introducing the festival to all the students, most of whom have never been to a festival," he says.

Santa Barbara City College Instructor Nico Maestu and student Stephanie Rieger in the Target Red Room at LA Film Festival.

Tech Talk - 15 Seconds of Fame

2008-06-23T22:16:00.000-07:00

Everyone's Famous for 15 Seconds, on Saturday, June 21, at the Festival Gallery at the LA Film Festival.

Danae Ringelmann, CFA, Chief of Finance & Customer Development, IndieGoGo (left); moderated a panel of Linda Olszewski of Shorts International and Independent Filmmaker Phillip Von Alvensleben, Filmaka. The trio explained how the Internet and other digital media have ushered in new opportunities and challenges for the independent filmmaker, and ways in which independent filmmakers can use it to their advantage.

They discussed the ways in which independent filmmakers can use short films as a calling card, as well as marketing tools for self promotion.

"Opportunities are everywhere," Ringelmann said. "There's never been a better time to be an independent filmmaker."

"[Short films] are a fairly inexpensive way to show your talent and show your commitment to your dream," Von Alvensleben explained.

A live-action short film can range from 10 to 40 minutes, an animated one: 5 to 40 minutes. A webisode can run 2 to 5 minutes. Also, Olszewski recommended shooting the film (or at least mastering it) in high definition.

Genre films, niche, animation, anything with a hook can get a filmmaker noticed.

The best way to stand out online? The experts agree: "Make a good film."

LA Film Festival Press & Filmmaker Party - June 20, 2008

2008-06-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

As the LA Film Festival got rolling, filmmakers enjoyed the Filmmaker and Press Cocktail Party on Friday, June 20, 2008.

Kathryn Aselton, Mark Duplass, Jen Tracy-Duplass & Jay Duplass (left to right) Writer-director-brothers Mark and Jay Duplass (The Puffy Chair) celebrated with their wives. Their latest film Baghead is having summer previews at LAFF, and will screen again on Friday at The Landmark at 4:45pm.

Pressure Cooker directors Mark Becker and Jennifer Grausman. The film, about Philadelphia's Frankford High School culinary arts teacher Wilma Stephenson, who helps inner city students prepare for a citywide cooking competition for scholarships to some of the country's top culinary arts institutions, is in the Festival's Documentary Competition. This inspirational journey of self-discovery and cooking will screen again on Tuesday, June 24, and Wednesday, June 25.

The Garden producer-director Scott Hamilton Kennedy stopped by the party before catching a screening of a documentary in competition. The Garden, about struggles facing the South Central LA Community Garden, had its World Premiere on Saturday, June 21, 2008.

Writer-director-producer Olaf De Fleur Johannesson's film The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela is in the LAFF International Showcase. The film, which screens on Thursday, June 26, and Sunday, June 29, originally started out as a documentary, yet Olaf decided to go the narrative route instead. A Filipina transsexual dreams of love and Paris in this so-surreal-it-must-be-true "visiomentary," a documentary/re-staged re-creation/fantasy that won the Teddy Award for Best Gay & Lesbian Feature at the recent Berlin Film Festival.

The Prince of Broadway co-writers Darren Dean (left) and Sean Baker. Their film is in narrative competition at the Festival.

Check www.LAFilmFest.com for more information, including times and locations, about these and other films screening at the festival.

Opening Night at the LA Film Festival

2008-06-20T13:08:00.001-07:00

Opening night of the 2008 LA Film Festival in Westwood.

Film Fest Attendees await the opening night screening of "Wanted," starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freemen, and Angelina Jolie.

Paper or Plastic? Executive Producer Oren Jacob (left) and Director/Cinematographer Alex D. da Silva with Debra Eckerling (Final Draft, Script magazine) at the LAFF Opening Night party. Director/Producer Justine Jacob is waiting on her and husband's Oren's next production--their next child. (Update: Ellis Noemi Jacob joined siblings Toby, 4 1/2, and Sammy, 2 1/2. Mother and daughter are doing great!) Paper or Plastic? premieres on June 20th at The Regent, 1045 Broxton in Westwood, at 7:30 pm.

At 5 pm, witness firsthand the fastest grocery bagger contestants as featured in the Los Angeles Film Festival’s documentary competition film "Paper or Plastic?" State Champions from the National Grocers Association (NGA) will provide live demonstration of the NGA BEST BAGGER CONTEST. James Hunter - California Best Bagger Champion; Brian Bay - Utah Best Bagger Champion; and Jacob Richardson - Virginia Best Bagger Champion, will be competing in front of The Regent. You will never view grocery baggers the same way again!

Actress turned Writer/Director Lori Petty with producing partner Peter Quartaroli at the Festival Opening Night Party. Lori's autobiographical film, The Poker House, which she co-wrote with David Alan Grier, premieres Friday, June 20, at The Mann Festival Theatre, 10877 Lindbrook Drive in Westwood.

The film, starring Selma Blair as Petty’s struggling abused mother, Bookeem Woodbine, David Alan Grier, and newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, is based on Petty's teenage experiences and struggles in a poor, small town in Iowa, circa 1976.

For more info on these and other films at the festival, go to www.LAFilmFest.com

LA Film Festival Opens Tonight

2008-06-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Film Festival, held annually for ten days in June, showcases the best of American and international independent cinema. With an expected attendance of over 100,000, the festival screens over 175 narrative features, documentaries, shorts, and music videos. Now in its fourteenth year, the festival has grown into a world-class event, uniting new filmmakers with critics, scholars, film masters, and the movie-loving public.

This year's festival runs from June 19 - June 29 in Westwood Village.

For more information, go to: www.LAFilmFest.com

AFI Top 10 List of 10 Film Genres

2008-06-18T00:05:00.000-07:00

Here is the American Film Institute's top-10 lists of the best in 10 film genres:

ANIMATION

1. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937.

2. "Pinocchio," 1940.

3. "Bambi," 1942.

4. "The Lion King," 1994.

5. "Fantasia," 1940.

6. "Toy Story," 1995.

7. "Beauty and the Beast," 1991.

8. "Shrek," 2001.

9. "Cinderella," 1950.

10. "Finding Nemo," 2003.

FANTASY

1. "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.

2. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," 2001.

3. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946.

4. "King Kong," 1933.

5. "Miracle on 34th Street, 1947.

6. "Field of Dreams," 1989.

7. "Harvey," 1950.

8. "Groundhog Day," 1993.

9. "The Thief of Bagdad," 1924.

10. "Big," 1988.

GANGSTER

1. "The Godfather," 1972.

2. "Goodfellas," 1990.

3. "The Godfather Part II," 1974.

4. "White Heat," 1949.

5. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.

6. "Scarface: The Shame of a Nation," 1932.

7. "Pulp Fiction," 1994.

8. "The Public Enemy," 1931.

9. "Little Caesar," 1930.

10. "Scarface," 1983.

SCIENCE FICTION

1. "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1968.

2. "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope," 1977.

3. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982.

4. "A Clockwork Orange," 1971.

5. "The Day The Earth Stood Still," 1951.

6. "Blade Runner," 1982.

7. "Alien," 1979.

8. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," 1991.

9. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," 1956.

10. "Back to the Future," 1985.

WESTERN

1. "The Searchers," 1956.

2. "High Noon," 1952.

3. "Shane," 1953.

4. "Unforgiven," 1992.

5. "Red River," 1948.

6. "The Wild Bunch," 1969.

7. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969.

8. "McCabe & Mrs. Miller," 1971.

9. "Stagecoach," 1939.

10. "Cat Ballou," 1965.

SPORTS

1. "Raging Bull," 1980.

2. "Rocky," 1976.

3. "The Pride of the Yankees," 1942.

4. "Hoosiers," 1986.

5. "Bull Durham," 1988.

6. "The Hustler," 1961.

7. "Caddyshack," 1980.

8. "Breaking Away," 1979.

9. "National Velvet," 1944.

10. "Jerry Maguire," 1996.

MYSTERY

1. "Vertigo," 1958.

2. "Chinatown," 1974.

3. "Rear Window," 1954.

4. "Laura," 1944.

5. "The Third Man," 1949.

6. "The Maltese Falcon," 1941.

7. "North By Northwest," 1959.

8. "Blue Velvet," 1986.

9. "Dial M for Murder," 1954.

10. "The Usual Suspects," 1995.

ROMANTIC COMEDY

1. "City Lights," 1931.

2. "Annie Hall," 1977.

3. "It Happened One Night," 1934.

4. "Roman Holiday," 1953.

5. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940.

6. "When Harry Met Sally ...," 1989.

7. "Adam's Rib," 1949.

8. "Moonstruck," 1987.

9. "Harold and Maude," 1971.

10. "Sleepless in Seattle," 1993.

COURTROOM DRAMA

1. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962.

2. "12 Angry Men," 1957.

3. "Kramer Vs. Kramer," 1979.

4. "The Verdict," 1982.

5. "A Few Good Men," 1992.

6. "Witness for the Prosecution," 1957.

7. "Anatomy of a Murder," 1959.

8. "In Cold Blood," 1967.

9. "A Cry in the Dark," 1988.

10. "Judgment at Nuremberg," 1961.

EPIC

1. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962.

2. "Ben-Hur," 1959.

3. "Schindler's List," 1993.

4. "Gone With the Wind," 1939.

5. "Spartacus," 1960.

6. "Titanic," 1997.

7. "All Quiet on the Western Front," 1930.

8. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998.

9. "Reds," 1981.

10. "The Ten Commandments," 1956.

Script Frenzy - Down to the Wire

2008-04-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe not quite THAT down to the wire.

Script Frenzy encourages writers to complete a screenplay in a month. The month of April, to be exact. Next Thursday is May 1st, which means - if you are a fast writer, there's still time to start. and, if you are a procrastinator and already started your great American screenplay, there's still time to finish! Good luck to all.

Miss out on Script Frenzy? National Novel Writing Month is in November.

Script Frenzy

2008-03-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

On Your Mark...Get Set...Write!

This year’s Script Frenzy—the screenwriter cousin of National Novel Writing Month—is in April. That’s right 30 days, 100 pages, and a completed screenplay at the Finish Line.

The point of Script Frenzy is productivity. The math is simple: If you write moving forward, with a page-count goal, you end up with a finished product. The website—Script Frenzy—offers message boards, announcements of local write-ins, resources, and other motivating fare.

Script Frenzy is a donation-funded nonprofit, and there is no fee to participate. The only prize, which is awarded to all who finish, is a Script Frenzy Winner's Certificate and web icon. The best prize? A completed screenplay. Whoo hoo!

According to the site, here are the 5 Basic Rules of Script Frenzy:

To be crowned an official Script Frenzy winner, you must write a script (or multiple scripts) of at least 100 total pages and verify this tally on ScriptFrenzy.org

You may write individually or in teams of two. Writer teams will have a 100-page total goal for their co-written script or scripts

Script writing may begin no earlier than 12:00:01 AM on April 1 and must cease no later than 11:59:59 PM on April 30, local time

You may write screenplays, stage plays, TV shows, short films, comic book and graphic novel scripts, adaptations of novels, or any other type of script your heart desires

You must, at some point, have ridiculous amounts of fun

Stephanie Palmer Booksigning

2008-03-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

Stephanie Palmer, author of Good in a Room: How To Sell Yourself and Your Ideas and Win Over Any Audience, was beaming as she signed books at The Grove in Los Angeles Tuesday night. The crowd of about 50 friends and fans came out to support her first book, and learned a little bit more about taking meetings in the process.

According to Palmer, some of the classic mistakes people make during meetings are "saying too much, speaking too quickly, and asking for more than one thing."

Palmer, a former MGM executive who has taken more than 3,000 meetings with writers, directors, and producers, says "It would be ideal if great ideas sold themselves."

Since that is not often the case, Palmer developed a system to help people take better meetings, so they get the results they want. She started her company—Good in a Room—after she left MGM. She has since coached 12 Oscar winners, 5 Emmy winners, and numerous corporate executives, including Fortune 500 CEOs.

Palmer's book's purpose is to help more people gain access to this important information.

The best part of her job?

"To help someone with a fantastic idea bring their idea to life," Palmer says. "There's nothing better than that for me." For more information, go to The Writers Store.

2008 Cinema City International Film Festival

2008-03-12T22:42:00.000-07:00

On Monday, March 10, the ballroom at the Century Park Hyatt sparkled. Soldiers, filmmakers, and supporters came out to honor the winners of the 2008 Cinema City International Film Festival, as they capped off their 2-day screening competition.

Cinema City is dedicated to supporting the next generation of independent filmmakers. Yet the festival was much more than that. The Gala served as a fundraiser for numerous burn foundations, and honored American Soldiers who have endured burn injuries while serving our country.

Final Draft was pleased to sponsor the award for Best TV Pilot Script. Our winner, Liz Alper, who wrote Wheat in Chicago, was absolutely ecstatic.

"I feel like I'm on top of the world," she said. "I have a gold statuette that tells me I can go out and do anything."

Wheat in Chicago is the story of two brothers who went to Chicago during the Great Depression to make a better life, and wound up getting seduced by the gangs.

"The heart of the story," Alper says, "is based on a relationship I had with a friend, who was a role model for me."

The friend has since passed away, and Alper dedicated her award to him. Alper knows her journey as a writer is just beginning.

Congratulations to all the 2008 Cinema City International Film Festival Winners:

Best TV Movie Script - Watching Closely

Best TV Pilot Script - Wheat in Chicago

Best TV Short Form Pilot - The Volt

Best TV Pilot - Loving the InLaws

Special TV Pilot Diversity Award - The New Americans

Best Music Video - Siempre Pude Ver

Best Commercial - Too Many

Student Filmmaker Award - Marcus Clarke

Audience Award - A tie between Gunmen and Undoing Time

For more information, go to Cinema City International Film Festival

Hollywood's Big Night

2008-02-24T23:25:00.000-08:00

The Oscars® were really a free for all, tonight … with a few exceptions.

Best Picture and Best Director went to No Country for Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen), as did the award for Adapted Screenplay. Best Supporting Actor went to Javier Bardem for the film. No shock there. Ditto for Best Actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood; the film also won Best Cinematography.

Best Actress went to Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose (which also won for Best Makeup) and Best Supporting Actress was Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton (the film’s only major award).

Best Original Screenplay went to Juno’s Diablo Cody, who won Best First Screenplay at Film Independent’s Spirit Awards. Cody, who was cool and excited on Saturday, looked totally blown away by her Sunday win.

Once beat out three songs from Enchanted and one from August Rush, winning the Oscar for Best Original Song: "Falling Slowly," music and lyrics by the film’s stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. (Once took home the Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film the day before.)

Austria’s The Counterfeiters won the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Film, and Taxi to the Dark Side took home Best Documentary. Ratatouille won Best Animated Film and Atonement took the award for Best Score. Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street won for Best Art Direction, The Golden Compass won for Visual Effects, and the award for Costume Design went to Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

The Bourne Ultimatum was full of surprises: it won Best Editing (which usually goes to Best Picture), as well as awards for Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

For a complete list of Academy Award winners, go to Oscar.com. For a complete list of Spirit Award Winners, go to Spirit Awards.com.

Turn on Friday Night Lights

2008-02-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

NBC’s Friday Night Lights was one of the best new shows last season. And tonight marks the last pre-strike episode of the show, perhaps the last ep of the season, and possible the series finale. Since the ratings were not that great—even with brand new episodes airing against less than stellar strike-fare—season three seems unlikely. (I am still hopeful, as those rose-colored glasses block out a lot of drudge.)

If you haven’t caught this prime-time football drama that’s more about the people affected by the game in small-town Dillon, Texas, than football itself, you are missing out. Friday Night Lights, filmed in TX, is shot more like a feature film than a TV program. The acting is superb—if the plot lines tend to be a bit melodramatic. And even the most fanatical, annoying character at the beginning of the show’s run (Buddy Garrity, I’m talking about you) has become endearing. Meanwhile, the most stable—Matt Saracen—has totally lost it after being tested one too many times. Lucky for Matt, Coach is watching out for him.

Check out FNL before the lights go out for good.

Christmas in January?

2008-01-30T17:45:00.000-08:00

You have to hand it to House (Tuesdays on FOX). Who else could pull off doing a Christmas episode nearly a month into the new year? With House scoring the primo post-Super Bowl spot this Sunday, it was only natural the network would pull the fresh ep from the end of last year and put it in a position to promote Feb 3rd's Super Stunt-casted ep with Mira Sorvino (the original proposed Super Ep was postponed, as it apparently still needed rewrites, and therefore was not ready to film, at the time the writers went on strike). Holiday disorientation aside, I'll take a good new episode of House any time of year, no matter how badly the episode is timed in relation to real life. It is, after all, just television. Right?

Decisions, Decisions

2008-01-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

The Oscar® nominations just came out last week, and I have already seen three of the Best Picture nominees: Atonement, Juno, and There Will Be Blood. Usually I find myself playing catch-up after the announcements. Given my good foresight, I wonder if I should rush to go see one of the other must-see films--Michael Clayton and No Country for Old Men. Or, since I am so far ahead of schedule, if I should say the heck with it, and go see Cloverfield, which is getting excellent reviews, though the likelihood of it making next year's ballot is somewhere between slim and none. (Come on. I am not being harsh. No one releases a movie in January that they think will be the next Great American Movie.) Will let you know what I think of Cloverfield.

We've Got Weather!

2008-01-23T23:31:00.000-08:00

Note: Those of you who live in Southern CA will know exactly what I am talking about. The rest of you, this is just how the weather works over on the left coast...

Stormwatch 2008. It's very exciting! Yes, really. It is. And if you don't think rain is news, then you must not live in Los Angeles.

The people who seem to benefit the most from rain in So Cal? The newscasters, of course. It's almost like they're happy it's wet and there's gridlock, and they can interview people on the street, asking them why they do or do not have an umbrella. It's something different, and we like different. We're spoiled. We have sunshine at least 335 days a year. And anything that differs from it, becomes the top story of the day.

In any other part of the country, rain isn't really news. It probably shouldn't really be news here either, but, shh ... don't tell anyone. If it gives the LA newscasters something to talk about besides the war, the election, crime, slow speed car chases, and the latest health craze, then, we'll just let them have their fun.

Now, a snowstorm. Well, that's another story altogether.

It's a Blog World

2008-01-20T21:56:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Helen Jupiter and Gerald Jones for all of their insights into the world of blogging at yesterday's IWOSC seminar. For more info about the seminar, check out Gerald's Post.

Happy Blogging,
Deb

Jeremy Piven Honored at Chicago Impact Awards

2007-11-19T00:22:00.000-08:00

Actor Jeremy Piven (on the red carpet with friend Steve Pink) was honored at the 5th Annual Columbia College Chicago Impact Awards at the Monmartre Lounge in Hollywood on Saturday, November 17.

Piven, who comes from Chicago-theatre royalty—his parents founded The Piven Theatre Workshop—has appeared in more than 40 feature films from Serendipity, Gross Pointe Blank, and The Family Man to Smokin' Aces, Runaway Jury, and Black Hawk Down, as well as TV shows, including Cupid and Ellen. Well, Piven's time has come. The two-time Emmy®-award winner for his role of agent Ari Gold on HBO's Entourage is currently starring in The Kingdom with Jennifer Garner and Jamie Foxx, and is about to start shooting The Goods: The Don Ready Story, a comedy about a used-car salesman who is brought in to save a fledging dealership.

Piven was raised in Chicago, and when he is not working in Los Angeles, he goes back to his first loves: theatre and Chicago

"Chicago has in my opinion the best theatre in the world," Piven says. "I miss going to The Piven Theatre or The Goodman and just seeing some great plays. Walking along the beach and seeing the skyline and the architecture or even jumping in a boat and seeing the skyline from the water [is] incredible."

The Impact Awards honors Windy City natives who have made an indelible impact on the entertainment industry, while maintaining the work ethic and loyalty that are synonymous with Chicago. The ceremony was emceed this year by Steve Kmetko, Columbia College alumnus ('76) and entertainment reporter, and hosted by actress Cindy Marinangel (below with Piven). Proceeds benefit the Bob Enrietto Scholarship Fund, which helps outstanding Columbia students attend the college's innovative Semester in L.A. program.

The New TV Season Begins

2007-09-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

Talk about going from 0 to 60 in a few days flat... The new TV season just officially started, and already I am struggling to figure out what to watch, when, and how to have a life that doesn't require pictures and sound from an electronic source.

Prison Break had its second ep last night. It's not that I'm a neat freak--okay, well, maybe a little--but the grime and filth of this new prison is making me not want to watch. Plus, it's up against Chuck, which is Alias-reminiscent with real-life-ish people thrown in for good measure. It may be my favorite hybrid of the season.

Tonight, the Dr is in. Oh, how I have missed House. There is some Tuesday-night viewing overlap--tonight's 90-minute Boston Legal season premiere starts at 9:30, but I have a plan: watch House live, record BL for later in the week. Yes, Boston is a guilty pleasure, but I am not quite ready to give it up; I look forward to seeing how The Practice v3.0 is going to reinvent itself...again.

Wednesdays means Private Practice/Gossip Girl/Back to You, and Dirty Sexy Money. And Pushing Daisies hasn't even started yet. Thursday - ABC extravaganza - Betty, Grey's, and Big Shots. And there's Fridays, complete with actual good programing--yay Friday Night Lights. Don't even get me started on Sundays. Ooh. Getting overwhelmed just thinking about it.

As they say in Episodic television, to be continued...

Where Eagles Dare

2007-09-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

To commemorate September 11th, here’s a poem, written by W. Eric Weiss, as his response to the events on that faithful day just 6 short years ago. It was put to music by Ken Kingsbury; the song can be found here: http://www.kenkingsbury.com/Eagles.html. But the lyrics speak for themselves.

Where Eagles Dare
By W. Eric Weiss

A plane flew away before the dawns early light
Buildings falling down a world forgot to spin round
Blasting a hole in the heart of freedom’s dream
As freedom screams… as freedom screams

Like the day the music died
The good old boys drank some more rye
As we cried in our hearts for Lennon’s sky
A sad world could only cry

Only where eagles dare shall eagles fly
We are stronger we are one… We will survive
Only where freedom dares shall the stars and stripes fly
We are stronger we are one… Freedom will survive

Imagine the children at play
Had no idea peace was attacked today
But still we dream a dream that will never die
As we still fly in Lennon’s sky

An eye for an eye only God knows why
Different faces and different names
But our children’s blood is still the same
Still our freedom flies… our freedom flies

Lady Liberty stood tall through it all
And passed the torch to the world today
The world shall answer the call
Freedom will not fall… Freedom will not fall

Only where eagles dare shall eagles fly
We are stronger we are one… We will survive
Only where freedom dares shall the stars and stripes fly
We are stronger we are one… Freedom will survive

God bless America… Our home sweet home
God bless the world… Our home sweet home
God bless the world… Our home sweet home

Jeff Greenwald's "Strange Travel Suggestions"

2007-08-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

In a world where TV, film, and the Internet give us access to anywhere in the world, it’s nice to get out of the house once in a while and explore something in real life. You don’t always need to get on a plane to travel the world. Sometimes, you just need to get in a car and travel to a little known venue in West Los Angeles, located beneath a piano store, called Steinway Recital Hall.

Tonight, Parlor Performances at Steinway Hall hosted award-winning international travel writer Jeff Greenwald, whose books include Shopping for Buddhas, The Size of the World and Scratching the Surface: Impressions of Planet Earth from Hollywood to Shiraz. Greenwald’s show, “Strange Travel Suggestions” is pretty much that. He has his audience members spin the “Wheel of Fortune.” Where it lands determines which story he will tell.

In the course of the evening, Greenwald had an unfortunate food mishap in Nepal (Meals of Misfortune), which lead to his becoming a travel writer—he figured such stories should have a purpose, an audience. He also discussed Star Trek with the Dalai Lama (Bird Bath of Memory)—yes, that Dalai Lama—and traveled the Atlantic in a cargo ship (Dark Waters). He capped off the evening with Left Luggage (Full of Complaints), where in Calcutta they have a truly inconvenient (understatement!) system for storing luggage.

It’s not just the subjects of the stories that are engaging, it’s Greenwald’s way of telling them. He has a command of the language—the English and I can only guess how many other languages—that few can claim. Greenwald is witty and intelligent, and his tales unfold in an easy and effortless manner.

Sometimes the best travel stories are the ones from someone else’s experience.

Live performances seem like a dime a dozen in Los Angeles—musicians, performance art, open mike. Quality presentations, like the one I saw tonight, not so much.

For more information on Jeff Greenwald, go to http://www.jeffgreenwald.com/.

For those who live in the area, Greenwald will be performing tomorrow night as a part of Parlor Palooza Mega Showcases, which will benefit disaster relief charities. For more information on this and other Parlor Palooza events, go to http://www.frankentertainment.com/.

Steinway Recital Hall at Fields Pianos is located at 12121 W. Pico Bl. (one door W. of Bundy under Fields Pianos, level P2).

(Pictured: Jeff Greenwald, Jeannine Frank of Frank Entertainment, and Jeff's Wheel of Fortune.)

Old TV Friends in New Places

2007-08-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

I am so relieved that my "friends" from other shows got new jobs. Just today it was announced that Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) was cast on Heroes. Guess I'm going to have to start watching that one.

Kristen is the third Veronica Mars cast member to secure work for the upcoming season--Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) will be seen on CBS's Moonlight and we already got a sneak peak at Piz (Chris Lowell) on ABC's Private Practice.

The prize for the show with the most actor relocations goes to The Nine. Detective Nick Cavanaugh (Tim Daly) is joining Piz on Private Practice. Lizzie (Jessica Collins) and Felicia (Dana Davis) are joining Ronnie on Heroes. (Btw, Davis did a 2-ep stint on Mars in its second season). Bank manager Malcolm (Chi McBride) will be Pushing Daisies on ABC. And Franny (Camile Guaty) is moving to NBC's Las Vegas.

Come midseason, Lucas (Owain Yeoman) is in the pilot of Fox's The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Kathryn (Kim Raver) will joining NBC's Lipstick Jungle, while dearly departed Eva Rios (Lourdes Benedicto) will be on ABC's Cashmere Mafia.

Although Egan Foote (John Billingsley) doesn't have a permanent new home, we've seen him on a variety of TV guest spots, as well as the big screen. I'm not so concerned. Egan seems to always land on his feet.

The only other main character not jumping into a show for the new season is Dr. Jeremy Cates (Scott Wolf). But, dry those tears. Wolf signed a development deal with ABC over the summer. We'll be seeing him--and his dimples--again real soon.

America's Favorite Dancer

2007-08-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

Another season of So You Think You Can Dance has come to an end.

Few things in life work out the way you want them to. Thank you, America, for voting with your hearts for your favorite dancer: Sabra.

When Danny and Sabra were standing up there as the top two, I decided I would be happy if either of them won. Danny's grace, style, and talent are unparalleled. We will be seeing a lot of him.

Sabra was my early favorite. Her spark, her style, her passion came through--along with her talent--right from the start.

www.fox.com/dance

The Nine - Number's Up

2007-08-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

I have accepted the fact that The Nine has been canceled. I get that I may never know the complete story of "What Happened in There." But I was very disappointed when I came home last night to see racing something-or-other when I should have seen my Nine being tracked by the feds. This whole bait and switch was completely uncalled for.

ABC did announce today that the rest of the eps will be shown online. Fine. Whatever. I will take what I can get. But at least let them leave with some dignity. Haven't The Nine, who have been trapped in that bank for nearly a year, suffered enough?

www.ABC.com

Hair Care at the Movies

2007-08-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Now available on video, DVD, or at a theater near you.

- Hairspray (1988, 2007) - a campy musical about integration in the 60s
- Grease (1978) - a musical--where boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl--in the 50s
- Shampoo (1975) - Warren Beatty, Goldie Hawn, and lots of product

There's Blow Dry (2001), Barbershop (2002), Beauty Shop (2005). The list goes on and on.

Coming soon(er or later):
- Mousse
- Gel
- Conditioner

When and where did our obsession with tresses begin? Hair (1979), When Harry Met Sally (1988), The Tortoise and the Hare (1935).For more information on these films and other hair-raising titles, go to http://www.imdb.com/.

So You Think You Can Dance: The Final Six

2007-08-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

So You Think You Can Dance is by far my favorite summer reality show. Watching these young dancers on the path to realizing their dreams is fun, exciting, and delightful.

I was annoyed as anyone about the massive nepotism at the start of the season. Siblings and a "friend of the show" took 4 of the top 20 spots: Travis' brother, Benji's sister/Heidi's cousin, a choreographer's assistant from last season, and Stanislav's sister. Stas's sister—Faina—was voted off the second week (lasted one week longer than big bro), but the other three—Danny, Lacey, and Lauren—are in the final six.

As six becomes four, I can only hope that one of the aforementioned woman (preferably Lacey) gets kicked off the dancing island to make room for Sabra, the 20-year-old contemporary dancer who has been dancing for just 4 years. Sabra has heart, but more than that, she taps into her passion every time she steps out on stage. And that's the kind of energy that transcends the TV set and goes into the audience's living room.

Speaking of amazing dancing, Danny has certainly earned a place in the top four. Words cannot describe the beauty and power of his movement, his seemingly effortless talent. Is it enough for him to win? Maybe, maybe not.

Which brings us to Pasha and Neil. As far as I'm concerned, the final four can be the three boys and Sabra. (No offense, Lauren, but it has taken you a long time to come into your own in the competition, and you are not quite there yet.) Pasha looks good, but has versatility issues. On the other hand, Neil, who was not my favorite, to say the least, has proven himself over the past few weeks. He has shown the most growth, which is a big part of what this competition is all about.

This week we get SYTYCD overload: results Monday, Finale part 1 on Wednesday, and Finale part 2 on Thursday. I'm sure Benji would be happier than anyone to pass the torch to his sister, who has talent but is lacking the maturity befitting a professional. She clearly isn't ready for the crown.

The final four should be Sabra, Lauren, Pasha, and Neil. And in my heart, Sabra's already won.

For more on So You Think You Can Dance, go to: http://www.fox.com/dance/