Punks
Recently, a Russian punk band called Pussy Riot was sentenced to two years in prison for writing this song: I’ve listened to “Punk Prayer” a couple of times, and read the lyrics, and still don’t understand the reasoning behind the court’s decision. The song’s lyrics make fun of president Vladimir Putin. The band filmed the music video in a church. So what? In the U.S., a publicity stunt like this wouldn’t even have earned a write-up in Rolling Stone. It doesn’t make sense….
Mental Illness and Creativity
There’s a game I like to play called “Diagnose the Writer.” Emily Dickinson? Social anxiety disorder. Fyodor Dostoevsky? Gambling addiction. Franz Kafka? Hypochondria. Ernest Hemingway? John Berryman? Clinical depression. I have realized in the past few years that every writer I enjoy reading has suffered some form of mental illness. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, I may not be too far off the mark, either. Why is that? What’s the link? Is there a comorbidity between the need to comment on life…
Out of This World
John Carter has been in the news a lot lately, and not for good reasons. Everyone, from Pixar enthusiasts, Hollywood insiders and business analysts are quick to point out that this film’s failure is historic. I have not come to praise Carter, but I am not going to make fun of it either. I haven’t even seen it. But I have seen the trailers. And from what I can tell from them, director Andrew Stanton uses a lot of CGI (computer-generated imagery) in this film….
Story Notes: Lifting the Veil
In between everything else in my life right now, I am recording some footage for a documentary about downtown Los Angeles, and its efforts at recovery. I am especially interested in the push to breathe new life into the old movie palaces that dot downtown, like the Cameo or the Orpheum, all now closed or repurposed. I had decided the other day to attend the unveiling of the old façade at Clifton’s. Sure it didn’t have anything to do with the movie palaces, but anyone…
Adult Children
This week I have very exciting news to report: I am co-writing and co-directing a sketch show at the iO West in Hollywood, “Adult Children.” If you are out here in Los Angeles, I suggest you take strong measures to see this–my first sketch show on the main stage! It is a big step for me, and one I am not sure I could handle, if not for a very talented cast and crew. “Adult Children” is my take on people my age surviving their…
Story Notes, Part One
The following question has come up a lot lately for me: How do you tell a good story? The short answer: I don’t know. The longer answer: Nobody knows. Not even the Hollywood bigwigs, development executives, studio consultants, or screenwriters. In fact, as William Goldman so succinctly put it: “Nobody knows anything” in Hollywood. Nevertheless, everybody knows a good story or two. So there must be a way to tell a good, compelling, page-turning, stick in your seat type story. The more I thought, the…
Adventures in Publishing
So, I published a book last week, The City Is My Nightlight. It is a collection of poems I wrote a few years ago for my sister’s sixth birthday. It took me almost four years to realize that I could reach a wider audience with my book through e-publishing. That’s only partially true. Of course, I knew the technology existed, I just didn’t think it was for me. Maybe I was afraid my friends would make fun of me for writing kids’ stuff. Maybe I…
On Editing
Many people who read this blog come here because they are either in college, film school, or some combination of the two and are considering the move to Los Angeles. I am writing this blog post for you. When you come to Los Angeles (because it’s never if it’s always when, trust me), you will be faced by two disarming facts: -There are very few jobs left in this industry. -Many of the few remaining jobs are being outsourced to other regions or overseas. But…
Pet Peeves 2K11
The most wonderful time of the year is officially over and it is officially time for me to be a grump again. So, without further ado, here is a list of the pet peeves that drove me crazy this year. Please add your own in the comments. 1. Flashing Your Lights. This must be an LA thing, because in New York, I don’t think I ever saw anyone do it. An angry driver behind you will comment on your slow pace not by a blast…
Occupy Hollywood
Let’s occupy Hollywood. Got your attention yet? Look, I don’t want you to think I’m going to set up a tent in front of the Bank of America building on Sunset and Vine. First, I don’t think the tent would brook much support with the LAPD, and second, it’s October, and it’s still freaking hot out here in LA. My idea of an occupation happens at the cineplex and on the television screen. It begins with questions: Are there enough television programs, enough films, and…
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