Hollywood Preview
You ever have that feeling in a movie when you realize the trailers are better than the main event? That’s how I felt while watching Savages this weekend. Maybe it’s because trailers are by their very nature more fun to watch, but if this is what is coming up in the next few weeks, then, despite Savages, I may have to return to the multiplex. For example, John Goodman. I think he’s having a moment right now. Not only did he play a satisfyingly on-point…
One from the Heart
Recently a friend emailed me an excerpt from a new book about “making it” in Hollywood. I read it and I wanted to respond to it but I really didn’t know what to say. The advice was the kind I had heard before: Don’t be a jerk, always be respectful, you get one chance to prove yourself in Hollywood and then you’re done. The author used an anecdote to prove her point. A guy starts his first job assisting a big shot director, someone he…
Somewhere
The other night at a Hawaiian themed restaurant in Malibu, I heard it again. That song. Two ukulele players and a hulu dancer serenaded a nearby table with Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s beautiful rendition of Somewhere over the Rainbow, and as if this restaurant were a film set and I the star, I had a flashback. This isn’t just any song. In fact, you can connect the dots from The Wizard of Oz to me, to Hollywood, to writing, to music, to my family. Supposedly our family…
Recent Projects
Here’s a music video I directed a couple of weeks ago for The Pom Poms, which is an awesome band that you should check out, in the following video and on their website. Feedback is always welcome in the comments.
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…
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…
7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Moving to LA
LA is a tough read. Sure, there are people with connections, family, and the like, but more often than not the sort of people who move here are totally free agents. Especially for “creatives,” those odd people who want to be in entertainment, there aren’t too many instructions and even fewer allies. Misleading road signs on the 10 Freeway, these instructions (from friends, friends of friends, distant cousins) should only be used with caution and the clear certainty you know the way back. That written,…
Not Everything about Los Angeles Is Bad
If you are a regular reader of the blog, you know that more often than not, I am complaining about LA: the traffic, the people, the pollution, or whatever pet peeve it is this month. But in recent months I have revised my opinion: yes, it is exceedingly difficult to live in LA. This is not a very livable city like Ann Arbor or Portland. But there are certain advantages to living here. What follows are some: 1. The weather. It’s eighty-four and sunny. No,…
Hellcats and Hollywood
“Being Here Doesn’t Mean You Belong.” The billboards for “Hellcats,” a new show on the CW, have popped up on Santa Monica Boulevard and on the 10 Freeway; I can catch them pretty much anytime I leave my apartment. These words, and the attitude-mannequins that accompany them, taunt me, as if their special message was meant for me. Being in Los Angeles doesn’t mean we’ll ever let you be a screenwriter. We already have enough of those. You don’t belong. Go home. Get lost. And…
Lessons Learned: Hollywood Style
Last year at this time I was preparing for finals and getting ready to graduate college. My plans were vague, although even in April, I knew I wanted to brave California and move to Los Angeles. My girlfriend planned to move out here, and gosh, I was going to follow her, too. I remember spending a great deal of time studying, and not much time thinking about my future. I’m glad I wasn’t more reflective, because, let’s face it, it was either blissful ignorance or…
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