MAVERICK, ANGEL BABY & SLAMDANCE SLAUGHTER A CAST OF HORROR VETS

SLAMDANCE HORROR SCRIPT COMPETITION OPEN FOR THIS YEAR'S ENTRIES

Beverly Hills, CA November 2007 - For Immediate Release

The Slamdance Horror Screenplay Competition winner, co-sponsored by Maverick Films and Angel Baby Entertainment, has landed Shawnee Smith, Erica Leerhsen, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Karl Yune, Eugenia Yuan, AnnaLynne McCord, and Jonathon Trent as the cast of Slaughter. Mark Morgan, Guy Oseary, and Cheri Wozniak will produce for Maverick, with Gregory Segal and John Andrew Gallagher from Angel Baby Entertainment and Slamdance's Peter Baxter. The script, penned by Nathan Brookes and Bobby Lee Darby, will be directed by horror genre helmer, Victor Garcia. Garcia's most recent credits include the just-released Return to House on Haunted Hill for Dark Castle and Warner Brothers, and the online prequel serial 30 Days of Night: Blood Trails for Sam Raimi and Ghost House Pictures.

Smith, the female lead in the hugely successful Saw series, will play the lead role of "Sarah" in Slaughter, a film within a film where three actresses discover that their supposed big break is actually a Japanese snuff film. Erika Leerhsen, well-known to horror fans for her work alongside Jessica Biel in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the upcoming Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, joins the cast in the role of "Jenny", replacing Dominique Swain. AnnaLynne McCord, another horror veteran (Day of the Dead), plays "Lillian", the third actress cast in the snuff film. McCord will join the Slaughter set, upon wrapping a multi-episode arc as Julian McMahon’s seductress on this season of the hit FX series, Nip/Tuck. Trent (Pray for Morning, The O.C.) plays the smug and sarcastic "Steve", tag-along boyfriend of McCord's character.

Tagawa, well-remembered by audiences for his performances in Planet of the Apes, Elektra, Memoirs of a Geisha and Pearl Harbor among others, will portray the film’s director; with Hong Kong Oscar Winner Yuan (The Eye 2, Memoirs of a Geisha) portraying his producer. Yune (Memoirs of a Geisha, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid) portrays another actor cast in the snuff movie.

Garcia was quoted as saying “I loved the script and the concept from the time I read it. It is great material from writers who wouldn’t be getting the opportunity of an all star horror cast except for the Slamdance Horror Competition.”

Similarly, Darby and Brookes were quoted as saying “We cannot believe the opportunity that has befallen us. In a year, to go from regular jobs in Dudley (UK) to making a movie with the leads from Saw and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is unbelievable, a dream come true.”

Maverick Films inked the deal with Angel Baby Entertainment and The Slamdance Film Festival which calls for the companies to finance and co-produce three films over a three year period. The films will be the winning screenplays of the annual Slamdance Horror Screenplay Competition and will premiere as a special presentation during the following year's Slamdance Film Festival. Previous Slamdance-winning Competition screenplays have included Joshua Marston's Maria Full of Grace and Nicole Kassell and Stephen Fetcher's The Woodsman. The festival has succeeded in providing an opportunity for emerging first-time writers and directors to receive industry attention.

In addition, Slamdance announces that the Slamdance Horror Screenplay competition is seeking entries for this year’s Competition. Like Slaughter, the winning script will be made into a feature-length motion picture in 2008. The competition is overseen by Slamdance's John Stoddard and Peter Baxter and the deadline is November 21, 2007. A winner will be announced at the Slamdance Awards Ceremony in January, 2008 in Park City, Utah.

Maverick and Angel Baby Entertainment are collaborating on another project, Digger, to be directed by John Andrew Gallagher, currently in pre-production and slated for a winter shoot. Maverick has a number of films in pre-production including Twilight for Summit Entertainment, The Stepfather for Sony - Screen Gems, and The Stanford Prison Experiment to be directed by Chris McQuarrie with Icon Entertainment and Infinity Features Entertainment.

A partnership between Producer Gregory Segal and Writer/Director/Producer John Andrew Gallagher (The Deli, Blue Moon), Angel Baby Entertainment has produced six features and two short films over the past two and one-half years, and has numerous projects in development. Segal's most recent credits include Vanessa William's starrer, My Brother, from Code Black and Universal, and as production executive, ThinkFilm's just released The Ten, directed by David Wain and starring Jessica Alba, Paul Rudd, Winona Ryder, Famke Jansen, Gretchen Mol, Oliver Platt, Ron Silver, Liev Schrieber, Rob Corddry, Justin Theroux and Adam Brody.

gone baby gone

The kids moved out. Of the main house. They left behind a tremendously foul smelling house, two cars (one of which was towed away this evening) and more refuse than one can believe. Its all been ripped from the house by a team of laborers and is sitting in the front of the house, and behind the house. A lovely site, really. At least their gone.

I cannot believe humans, much less, women, live like that. It was so nasty in that house. The laborers were wearing masks to keep out the smell.

Anyway, so the cleanup is underway. The place has a lot of potential and I am just happy that even though its awful right now, hopefully in a few weeks the place will be clean, there will be new tenants, and we can get to cleaning the place up.

Course, in a few weeks I’ll be shooting and probably wont even notice.

Can you dig it?

Check out this video: Harold & Kumar 2



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South Of Pico official wrap release

11th ANNUAL AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS “SOUTH OF PICO” GRAND JURY PRIZE FOR BEST PICTURE, AND AWARDS “PICO” ACTOR HENRY SIMMONS BEST ACTOR AWARD.

SOUTH OF PICO also awarded Heineken Red Star Award for “Originality, Innovation and Vision.”

(Los Angeles, California- October 2007) – The Eleventh Annual American Black Film Festival, sponsored by HBO, Kodak, and Blockbuster among others, has awarded AFI graduate Ernst Gossner’s feature writing and directorial debut “South of Pico,” starring Henry Simmons, Gina Torres and Kip Pardue, the Grand Jury Prize for Best Picture, at their awards ceremony at the Sofitel Hotel, Los Angeles. In addition, festival representatives announced that “Pico” star Henry Simmons, best known for his work on “Shark” and “NYPD Blue,” had won Festival honors for Best Actor.

ABFF sponsor Heineken also presented “South of Pico” director Ernst Gossner with its prestigious Red Star Award, awarded to “recognize originality, innovation and vision in film and is demonstrative of (Heineken’s) continued commitment to supporting and fostering unique film experiences.”

With numerous distribution offers in hand after its worldwide Festival debut, “South of Pico” is expected to be released in 2008.

“South of Pico” was written by Gossner drawing off of his experiences while living in Los Angeles during film school at AFI. The script was developed in the Berlin Film Festival Script Clinic. Gossner then connected with Producer Eric Presley and Executive Producer Ralf Mosig through an advertisement the producers had placed looking for projects in Filmmaker Magazine.

Henry Simmons can currently be seen opposite James Woods on “Shark.” His film roles include “Lackawanna Blues,” “Taxi” and “Something New,” as well as the upcoming “The Insurgents.”

Gina Torres is best known for starring on Joss Whedon’s “Firefly” and “Serenity,” for her roles in the “Matrix” sequels, and for her lead role in the Chris Rock starrer, “I Think I Love My Wife.”

Kip Pardue, a familiar face to movie audiences for roles in both studio and independent films, stood out in “Remember the Titans” and has received accolades for his performances in films like Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominee, “Loggerheads.” He’s recently been seen in a recurring role on “ER” and in the remake “The Wizard of Gore.”

“South of Pico” was produced by Eric Presley, Richard Marcus and Ernst Gossner. Executive Producer is Ralf Mosig. The film was shot by Richard Marcus. The music was composed by John Swihart, best known for his work on “Napoleon Dynamite.”

South of Pico and stuff

A little business to break up the drama. I have started to represent other producers on the sales of their films. I've been doing this on my own films and now started handling films that I haven't produced. In any event one of the first outside films I picked up is an excellent drama called South of Pico. I originally noticed the film because one of the leads is Henry Simmons who also appears in my film, The Insurgents. I helped get the film into the American Black Film Festival which my film My Brother won, last year.

I'm proud to announce as the representative for the filmmakers that South of Pico has won three awards including thr grand jury prize, best actor for henry and the heineken red star award for acheivement in filmmaking. In fact, it won every award for which it was nominated. Great news for the filmmakers: Ernst gossner eric Presley Richard marcus and ralf Mosig.

Hopefully this is just the beginning for South of Pico. With multiple offers in hand the life of pico is just beginning.

remembrances of things past

What would you do?

Its been thirteen years. After a very bad break-up. I was accused, publicly of many terrible things, things that she knew weren’t true. It was as nasty as it gets, and at the time I just wanted to run away from all of it. But I had a year left in law school and I had to live with it for a year.

But its been thirteen years, and now, out of the ether, comes this ex-girlfriend. And after initially talking for an hour, after returning her call, she’s called me ten times in the past few days. Texted me. Left rambling messages. Wants to keep in contact. Doesn’t want to “lose” me again, whatever that means.

Back up.

She is married, very well-off by virtue of that marriage, with two children. She is no longer a lawyer. She owns a pilates studio in Long Island (she was a dance instructor and aerobics teacher when we dated in law school).

She is clearly missing something in her life. She remembers me, in her edited version, fondly – the “love of her life.” I want very little any such regard. As I’ve said numerous times, this isn’t water under the bridge, its water out to sea. Way out.

She’s asked to get together when I am back in NY. Pass. To give me a hug. Double pass.

She is reaching out to me, I believe, because she isn’t thrilled about where her life is right now. Perhaps without passion. Almost certainly. And I am a symbol of when she had passion in her life – when her life wasn’t staid, when it was full of possibility. When she was young and not locked in. When she was in love.

But that was me thirteen years ago. I’m not that person any more either, any more than she is that person. I’ve moved on – and I have no interest in going back in that direction.

So she is reaching out, she wants to meet, or to talk, once every while. And my feeling is, no, that’s just not part of my life anymore. What we had once is gone. Its been gone for a long time.

So what would you do?

Scream Awards 2007

So sort of last minute, I got invitations to the Scream Awards and after-party (everything in LA has an afterparty, root canals have after parties). VIP passes which were fun, though it seemed like everyone in the whole place had them, so I guess we were all VIP’s together.

The Scream Awards, which SPIKE TV televises, are for fantasy, sci-fi, and yes, horror. The best of the best. The event itself was a ton of fun. I went with my friend Diana, who somehow managed to look great even though I only got her ticket shortly before the show and she might have had thirty minutes to shower and get ready. She gets points. Also, Cheri from Maverick, and Victor Garcia, our director for Slaughter, made the trek to the Greek Theatre in Griffith Park.

The fans know what they like. Spike TV seems to know what they like too. The show opened with the Hero Awards, a lifetime acheivemnent award given to a genre movie superstar. Shia LeBoef presented to who else, Indiana Jones. Han Solo. Decker. Harrison Ford.

They had a great list of presenters and awardees, like the Jessicas (Alba and Biel), Hayden Panawhawha from Heroes (actually, seemed like the whole cast was there), Sig Haig presented with Danny Trejo, Tarantino and Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, and when Bruce Campbell came out, the crowd literally went wild. Victor told me that BC is a god to him, the greatest. Victor obviously has good taste.

Ozzie came on and did his Osbourne thing, and then, the true highlight of the show, was Alice Cooper performing Schools Out with Rob Zombie and Slash. Because its LA, bunches of people had left before this finale, and they really missed out. It was kickin’.

Afterparty was fun. The dude who played Michael Meyers in Zombie's Halloween seemed omnipresent, but that may just be because he's a foot taller than everyone else. He is mammoth. I ended up sitting next to Cris Angel and Tommy Lee for a while. I still havent seen Cris Angel perform (I saw Tommy Lee "perform" with a certain star from Baywatch) and I wouldnt have known who he was. The girls at the Roosevelt Hotel seemed to know who he was tho.

Anyway, it was fun.

Now you don’t have to watch it on TV.

Grumps.

Two weeks or a bit more in LA now. Whats going on?

1. Got a call from an ex. Hadnt spoken to her in thirteen years. Yep, thirteen years. That makes me how old? We had what I will nicely call a bad break-up. It was really awful, and I was very surprised to hear that I had a message from her. I called back out of (a) trying to be a mature person, (b) potentially responding to someone I once cared a great deal about who might have been in need, and (c) curiosity. Turns out that she just wanted to see what I was upto, and that her recollection of how bad things were, or even, just how things were, differed greatly from mine. I think she had buried some stuff – we were both very hurt when it ended, eons ago. Anyway, my trepidation seems mostly misplaced, and the conversation was fine, perhaps awkward at times, just a bit, and definitely brought to bear some sense of loss of what had been.

2. We’re slaughtering ahead in preproduction. Looking at locations, FX breakdowns, casting, etc. Its going pretty well. Been a long time coming, and I can see the lighting equipment at the end of the tunnel now. Victor is great, I think he was a terrific choice for us. We’re lucky to have him.

3. I am going to Scream Awards (not to be confused with Screamfest) tonight, I think. Should be cool. I think I have VIP passes too. Do a little promotion, a little networking. That looks like a cool event, even if it is on Spike TV. Have to figure out if I clothing out here that’s right for it.

4. Madonna was at Maverick’s offices the other day when I was there. Nope, didn’t meet her. Maybe next time. No biggie.

5. I cannot believe it, but the kids in the main house are moving out, and when they do I am going to lose internet access for ten days. UGH. I can’t believe this. Again.

Keeping it short, lots to do.

Mean Streets - See It Again

What can you say about Mean Streets? Is it possible to determine the overall impact of the movie, Scorsese’s early classic, on not only his later films, but on the entire genre of gangster movies (which Mean Streets is not), Italian-American cinema (which it is), and film acting in general (due to stunning perfs by Deniro, Keitel, and very powerful and realistic supporting characters played by David Proval, Richard Romanus, and Amy Robinson, who was never again in a movie (though she has produced many)).

I don’t want to review this movie here. Its been review to death. Just reminding those who haven’t seen it, or seen it for a while. See it again. It might be Scorsese's best movie. Its like watching a French new wave film shot in Little Italy (and Los Angeles, where most of the movie was actually filmed), with Deniro instead of Belmondo and Amy Robinson instead of Jean Seberg or Jeanne Moreau. Its simply kinetic and realistic. And timely. The movie hasn’t aged, except for perhaps the sequence where the two Riverdale kids get swindled out of the firecracker money.

Second Verse, Same as The First (but shorter)

So I went back to NYC, early July. You may remember that I had this period of wirelessness while I was out here in CA before I left. Stir crazy, restless, wireless nights.

Well, they are back. Or they were.

I woke up this morning to a familiar phenomenon. I had no wireless connection. Not only that, but the wireless router was not even showing on Airport. Ugh. I thought that maybe the router had been unplugged or something.

I was right. But when I went to the main house this AM to check it out, all the doors were locked, a first. I don’t have keys to the main house, so I couldn’t get in to see what the story was.

Story was….

Someone broke into the main house and stole a laptop and the router itself at around 5AM. They also took a cable box. It was someone who knows the ppl in the main house, I think, because whoever it was seems to have been very specific in their theft and also, they weren’t afraid of any of the three dogs that live in the house.

Anyway, so when I finally got in this afternoon, the router was missing. I thought maybe someone had returned it? No clue. But when I found out what happened, I bounced down to Best Buy and had to drop another hundred to get a new one. Im a little incredulous that I am actually back up and online. It took about an hour to reconfigure, and here I am, poorer but still connected.

Bastardos.

Grumpster's Hollywood Reporter Article today

Hollywood Reporter Exclusive, by Gregg Goldstein
NEW YORK -- Dominique Swain will star in "Slaughter," the first film to be made from a Slamdance Film Festival Horror Screenplay Competition winner.

Maverick Films genre arm Maverick Red and Angel Baby Entertainment will finance and co-produce Nathan Brookes and Bobby Lee Darby's winning script, with Victor Garcia attached to direct.

Swain will play a young actress who travels to a remote desert location to shoot a film called "Slaughter," only to discover she and her co-stars have been cast in a snuff film and must fight to survive.

Principal photography will begin this month in Los Angeles. Maverick and Angel Baby, in association with Slamdance, will finance and co-produce a total of three features based on each year's prize-winning entry.

Maverick's Guy Oseary, Mark Morgan and Eric Thompson will produce each film with Angel Baby partners Gregory Segal and John Andrew Gallagher and Slamdance president Peter Baxter. Maverick's Cheri Wozniak will executive produce the films. The horror script contest is overseen by Slamdance's John Stoddard and Baxter.

Garcia recently helmed "Return to House on Haunted Hill" for Dark Castle Entertainment and Warner Bros. and the online serial "30 Days of Night: Blood Trails" for Ghost House Pictures. Maverick and Angel Baby have director Gallagher's feature "Digger" in preproduction for a fall shoot.

Swain's credits include "Alpha Dog," "Stiletto" and "Lolita." She is repped by APA and Michael Garnett at Leverage Management. Garcia is repped by UTA and William Lowery at Underground Film and Management.

Airplane Bloggin’: The Walking Dead Edition

So its been a while since I had an airplane blog. I think I spent more uninterrupted time in New York City that I have all year, maybe longer than that. It certainly feels like more time has passed since such an entry.

Also feels like I am typing in slow motion – took a pill for flight anxiety (I am, post-9.11, a passable but not the most comfortable flier), and lets say two things about it. First it works, and I slept the first four hours or so of this flight. Literally feel asleep during takeoff, my moment of typical greatest anxiety I don’t even remember it. Just taxi-ing and next thing, I woke up momentarily over Tennessee. Daddy like.

Second, I have this entirely mellow feeling. I know it will be short lived, I can already feel it wearing off a bit, like the sleepiness did, though maybe I can catch one more nap before I am descending into Burbank.

Modern meds. Use them responsibility and enjoy. The whole travel situation had the capactity to be annoying. I brought a gift from J with me. Didn’t even think about it. Well apparently, it was over the permitted toiletries limit and I couldn’t bring it on the plane, in case I decided to play Richard Reid with my aftershave. I hadn’t planned on it, but they were not buying it. To complicate matters, my ticket had the pre-screening mark on it. That means I was preselected for extra harassment and wanding beyond the more typical screening and Xray that we all enjoy as we head through. When my contraband was discovered though, I was left with the choice of throwing them out (and they weren’t cheap, and were a gift that has some sentimental value to me).

Alternatively, I could head back through security, check the items in a box, which meant that I would have to head back through the whole security check thing again and then, in Burbank, wait for checked luggage – which I never do because I keep clothing and other belongings in Cali so I don’t have anything to carry beyond computers and ipods and cel phones etc.

So as previous texts would indicate, the disconnection process which was supposed to begin with this trip instead was quickly brought into stark relief. Would I endure the hassle to save the gift or would I just dump them in the garbage. I have a feeling that, er, feelings aside, I would have dumped it all to get on the plane. BUT NOOOOO. So I head back through security and do the whole thing (which was not so bad except for now having to wait at Burbank for luggage.

I told J the story while I was waiting for the flight. We’re quite candid with each other about our mental processes (I may be a little more, but I am also a better listener, so I hear more than she’s telling me sometimes, to her occasional chagrin and amazement).

I cannot say how I otherwise feel. I am a little floatie from the drug. Nothing seems to be bothering me too much. I believe, Chillin, would be the right description. And its difficult to get would up about stuff when you’re asleep at 38,000 feet.

Slaughter production office should be open tomorrow I hope. Its kinda far from my apt., but whatever. Not the biggest deal. I’ll be happy to get in the trenches and let the blood start flowing.

Daniel Day Lewis Is The Man

Lewis, always a chameleon, in this trailer for the new PT Anderson movie. He sounds like Jack Palance to me, though people are saying John Huston.

Fugghedaboudit

Courtesy of WC Dixon's blog, this great little clip requires no fuckin' introduction.

How Cool Is the Coen Bros Movie Poster...

Hanging Ten (PM)

I am hanging in there today. Got a message from J, just saying hi. She thanked me yet again for taking her to the event. She was working and snuck out to send me a little message before heading back to work.

I feel a little like Ive turned the corner, but not entirely. I feel like I am on the rod to disconnection which, again, is something I view with some degree (not a small degree) of ambivalence. I need to do it, for my well-being. But I don’t totally want to do it. I want to hold on to my hope, instead of dashing it against the rocks. Unfortunately, the rocks are probably where my hope belongs. Bottoms up.

Going sailing tomorrow, which I love. With Dave, and my friends Mari and Lalika. I probably wont see them until I get back (though Mari heads to LA occasionally) and these three are good friends. David is my best friend. Mari and Lalli are new friends, but wonderful and caring and terrific and fun, and I’ll miss them whilst I am in LA. Sailing is a nice way to get together before I leave. Weather is supposed to be nice – should be a good time.

I know that this isn’t the normal nature of my writing. I am usually snide and obnoxious, and lest you worry, be reassured that in person, I really still am. In person. Im just a schmoopy fool this week on my blog.

Grumps

On the way out

Saw a friend last nite – went to a little gathering. It was ok. Not the best party. Thats not waht I want to talk about anyway.

Its more personal than that. This friend, lets call her J – hiding behind the fact that there are plenty of J names for women. J and I have something that is, or has been, at times, more than friendship. I feel for her more than friendship. She, well, she’s felt more than friendship at times, but for her, its best for us to be friends. That’s what she wants. We’ve talked it to death.

Problem is, well, me. I have plenty of friends. I don’t have plenty of women, over the last five years, that I feel for more than just friendship. I don’t know why its so rare now. Its been maybe a handful of times since my last serious relationships (I honestly cannot remember another time). Maybe I am more guarded than most people, maybe the Jeanne relationship was more impactful, even today, then I recognize.

Im going to California for a few months, maybe two? And so it was a good bye for J and I. Or at least so long. Seems like that there isn’t that much to say about this, as its not going anywhere further (maybe someday, she’s said, when she is ready for a “relationship” guy, which is the way I am viewed- she isn’t ready for that given her recent past – nonetheless, I take that all with some degree of skepticism, really, I do, really).

I feel pretty awful at the moment. I don’t have a reason, I haven’t lost anything perhaps. Maybe just some glimmer of hope, the hope that I have the capacity to feel this way as a person still.

Going to California is a clean way to cut off these feelings I have for J. That may help me feel better for the meantime. But then, having cut them off, having suffocated them like I’ve been telling myself to do for the last month, what will I have achieved. It will be to have snuffed out one of the few connections I have had to an emotional connection to another person, to a women, in years. And that makes the prospect of feeling better feel less better.

Going back to Cali, to Cali, to Cali (did I already use this title) - II (Ok?)

I am headed back to LA for a month or more, most likely, on Monday. Back to my LA hovel after a few months of relative comfort in NYC since early July. Slaughter rampin' up, and I need to be out there. So I am booked and on a plane on Monday afternoon. Coolio - kinda, it is what it is (but what is that).

Probably a good and bad time for me to be heading out. I need to clear my head of some personal issues - some disgruntled romanticism that has had me somewhat distracted. A situation. An enticement. Something that isnt gonna go anywhere, at least anytime soon, and soooooo, its much better to be out of sight, out of mind.

Spearheaded by the need to move on, I actually have been dating some. Im so friggin' monogamous, as a general matter, that just liking a woman can often make me drop it with others if I am not feelin' it. I like to focus. But since that primary interest is going nowhere fast,seemed like a good solution and an obvious next move. So I've been on a few dates, collected a few numbers. Even a set-up - though I haven't called her yet. And now all that stuff (though its no great tragedy) will prolly have to be put on hold for a bit. A month. Thats a decent amount of time.

Call it a career. Just dont call it a life. A substitute, maybe. When did the rules of grammar disappear? Why am I asking you?

Anyway, just some ramblings for a Wednesday evening. Heading out soon. Gotta get a shower and a shave.

Later. Grumps.

You might have seen this

I assume most ppl have seen this. After all, it has a zillion views on Youtube.



Its scary. And very popular amongst the youngsters. Its even give rise to a comedy central commerical spoof ( i think its comedy central). From none other than Seth Green, who proves he's a great actor with this bit. Quite good.

Priorities

This is a repost from Filmjerk.com. Its interesting to see what the pre-strike priorities are. There are guild strikes pending for mid-2008, and these are the films that have been earmarked for production, pre-strike, unless the strike is settled. The agencies are circulating these lists because they want to get their clients (and themselves) paid prior to the strikes, which, if they happen, will cause a cash shutdown for some period of time.

There are some big time directors on the list- interesting that this may be the best indication of what their next projects will be. The biggest directors often have a choice of what they want to work on next. In the case of Stephen Spielberg, its the Chicago 7 film. For Robert Zemeckis, a Christmas Carol. Venice (and Oscar) winner Ang Lee has Little Game. Sam Raimi is mentioned for a project for Fox Searchlight called Rabbit Hole (probably slightly lower budgeted than Spidey 3). Ron Howard- Angels and Demons. Clint - The Changeling. Robert Rodriguez, a remae of Barbarella remake (Jessica Alba, anyone?). Some directors, like Martin Campbell, Vadim Perelman, Jay Roach, have multiple projects listed.

******


A list starting circulating around the talent agencies two weeks ago, listing the 300 projects in active development which have become pre-strike priorities for the major studios and a number of top production companies. This list does not mean all of these projects will be completed before the strike date or that they will come together in time. A few titles have already started shooting, some others have set production start dates, and a couple will likely end up on somebody's Best Films Never Made list a few years down the road.

You'll also notice certain directors have their names attached to two or more projects, while a number of them have no director attached. Hell, even Hollywood pariah David O. Russell is getting a bump thanks to the strike threat. Just that these are the films these companies are putting their muscle behind, hoping to keep their distribution pipeline open and flowing in case of a work stoppage.

As of August 29, 2007, there are the main priorities for Hollywood, in case of emergency:

2929 Entertainment
BURNING PLAIN - Dir: Guillermo Arriaga
VILLAIN - Dir: Martin Campbell

BALDWIN
ATLAS SHRUGGED - Dir: Vadim Perelman
INDISCRETION - Dir: Tony Goldwyn
LUNA - Dir: Deepa Mehta

BEACON
CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HITMAN - Dir: Kip Williams

DISNEY
ADVENTURELAND - Dir: Greg Mottola
ALICE - Dir: None attached
AMERICAN DOG (animated) - Dir: Chris Sanders
BEDTIME STORIES - Dir: Adam Shankman
BOY SOLDIER - Dir: Oliver Higschbiegel
A CHRISTMAS CAROL - Dir: Robert Zemeckis
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC - Dir: PJ Hogan
DOUBT - Dir: John Patrick Shanley
ESCAPE FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN - Dir: Andy Fickman
G-FORCE (animated) - Dir: Hoyt Yeatman
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 - Dir: Kenny Ortega
JUNGLE CRUISE - Dir: None attached
LIBERTY - Dir: None attached
PRINCE OF PERSIA - Dir: None attached
PRINCESS AND THE FROG (animated) - Dir: Ron Clements and John Musker
THE PROPOSAL - Dir: Robert Luketic
SCHOOLED - Dir: Walt Becker
SNOW - Dir: Francis Lawrence

DIMENSION
CELL - Dir: Eli Roth
COMEBACK - Dir: Fred Durst
PORKY'S - Dir: None attached
SUPERHEROES - Dir: Craig Mazin
WEDDING RINGER (PREVIOUSLY GOLDEN TUX) - Dir: Lavender and Garelick
YOUTH IN REVOLT - Dir: None attached

DREAMWORKS
CAMP CREEPY TIME - Dir: None attached
DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS - Dir: Jay Roach
EAGLE EYE - Dir: DJ Caruso
GHOST TOWN - Dir: David Koepp
HOTEL FOR DOGS - Dir: Thor Freudenthal
I LOVE YOU MAN - Dir: John Hamburg
THE RIVALS - Dir: John Madden
SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE - Dir: None attached
SIEGE OF FULTON AVE - Dir: None attached
THE SOLOIST (PREVIOUSLY IMAGINING BEETHOVEN) - Dir: Joe Wright
THOUSAND WORDS - Dir: None attached
TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 - Dir: Steven Spielberg
WEDNESDAY - Dir: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
WILL - Dir: None attached

FOCUS
THE SERIOUS MAN - Dir: Joel and Ethan Coen
CURVEBALL - Dir: None attached but looking to Josh Marston
LITTLE GAME - Dir: Ang Lee
NICK AND NORAH - Dir: Peter Sollett
MEMORY OF A KILLER - Dir: None attached
PIANO TUNER - Dir: Werner Herzog
SIN NOMBRE - Dir: Cary Fukunaga

FOX
A-TEAM - Dir: None attached
COOL SCHOOL - Dir: None attached
DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL - Dir: Scott Derrikson
FANTASTIC VOYAGE - Dir: Roland Emmerich
GULLIVERS TRAVELS - Dir: None attached
MAGNETO - Dir: David Goyer
ME TIME - Dir: None attached
RUNAWAY TRAIN - Dir: Martin Campbell
SELLING TIME - Dir: None attached
STREET FIGHTER - Dir: Andrezej Bartkowiak
THEY CAME FROM UPSTAIRS - Dir: John Schultz
TOOTH FAIRY - Dir: None attached
TROUBLE MAN (PREVIOUSLY WICHITA) - Dir: Tom Dey
USED GUYS - Dir: Jay Roach
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - Dir: Tom Vaughn
WOLVERINE - Dir: Gavin Hood

FOX ATOMIC
BRAD CUTTER RUINED MY LIFE - Dir: Ari Sandel
CAPTAIN AWESOME - Dir: None attached
DON’T SEND HELP - Dir: None attached
I LOVE YOU BETH COOPER - Dir: None attached
PLAYBOYS - Dir: Trevor Moore/Zack Creggors
SPACE INVADER - Dir: Andrew Currie
SMASH AND GRAB - Dir: None attached but looking to John Moore

FOX SEARCHLIGHT
500 DAYS OF SUMMER - Dir: Marc Webb
KIDNAP - Dir: Nate Gwaltney
NOTORIOUS - Dir: George Tillman
RABBIT HOLE - Dir: None attached but looking to Sam Raimi
SECRET LIFE OF BEES - Dir: Gina Prince Bythewood
TOGETHER - Dir: Miguel Arteta
WAY BACK - Dir: None attached

FOX 2000
AFTERLIFE - Dir: None attached
ANOTHER BULLSHIT NIGHT IN SUCK CITY - Dir: Paul Weitz
BACHELOR BOYS - Dir: None attached
BOYS NEXT DOOR - Dir: None attached
CONTACT ZERO - Dir: None attached
DALLAS - Dir: Betty Thomas
LIFE OF PI - Dir: Jean Pierre Jeunet
LUCKY STRIKE - Dir: Tony Scott
MARLEY AND ME - Dir: David Frankel
MONTE CARLO (PREVIOUSLY HEADHUNTERS) - Dir: Tom Bezucha
RAMONA - Dir: Liz Allen
SHADOW DIVERS - Dir: None attached
TOWNHOUSE - Dir: John Carney
WOLF BROTHER - Dir: Catherine Hardwicke

GOLD CIRCLE
ARCANUM - Dir: Randall Wallace
CHILLED IN MIAMI - Dir: Jonas Elmer
FLYPAPER - Dir: None attached
HONEYMOON’S OVER - Dir: None attached

HBO FILMS
CONNIE & RUTH - Dir: Jane Anderson
RECOUNT - Dir: Jay Roach

INTERMEDIA
KILLER’S GAME - Dir: Simon Crane

LAKESHORE
GAME - Dir: Neveldine & Taylor
LINCOLN LAWYER - Dir: None attached

LIONSGATE
5 KILLERS - Dir: Mark Helfrich
ADDICTED - Dir: Peter Medak
ATLAS SHRUGGED - Dir: Vadim Perelman
BACHELOR #2 - Dir: Howard Deutch
CHURCHBOY - Dir: Sonu Gonera
MEANone attachedLLS - Dir: John Whitesell
PARTY BOYS - Dir: Pate Bros.
PUNISHER II - Dir: Lexi Alexander
SHRINK - Dir: Kevin Donovan
THE SPIRIT - Dir: Frank Miller
TULIA - Dir: John Singleton

MANDATE
CURVE - Dir: Charles Stone
DOGS OF BABEL - Dir: None attached
WHIP IT - Dir: Drew Barrymore

MIRAMAX
HERO - Dir: Julian Farino
THE RESURRECTIONISTS - Dir: John Madden

NEW LINE
20,000 LEAGUES - Dir: None attached
$40,000 MAN - Dir: Terry Zwigoff
APPALOOSA - Dir: Ed Harris
CONRAIL - Dir: Ericson Core
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK - Dir: Len Wiseman
FOUR CHRISTMASES - Dir: Seth Gordon
GEARS OF WAR - Dir: None attached
GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST - Dir: Mark Waters
HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU - Dir: Ken Kwapis
HONEYMOON WITH HARRY - Dir: None attached
KILLING ON CARNIVAL ROW - Dir: Neil Jordan
KING OF KONG - Dir: Seth Gordon
MILD THINGS - Dir: Frank Coraci
MY SISTER'S KEEPER - Dir: Nick Cassavetes
PAPER WINGS - Dir: None attached
SEX & THE CITY - Dir: Michael King
SNITCH - Dir: Carl Franklin
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE - Dir: Robert Schwentke

NEW REGENCY
BIG MOMMA'S 3 - Dir: None attached
BRIDE WARS - Dir: None attached
CAGE - Dir: None attached
CAPRICORN ONE - Dir: None attached
DALLAS - Dir: None attached but looking to Betty Thomas
MONTE CARLO (PREVIOUSLY HEADHUNTERS) - Dir: Tom Bezucha
VOLTRON - Dir: None attached

OVERTURE
105 DEGREES - Dir: Jon AMiel
HUMBOLT PARK - Dir: None attached
RIGHTEOUS KILL - Dir: Jon Avnet
LAST CHANCE HARVEY - Dir: Joel Hopkins

PARAMOUNT
ANGUS, THONGS - Dir: Gurinder Chadha
CHEF - Dir: None attached
THE FIGHTER - Dir: Darren Aronofsky
GI JOE - Dir: None attached
I WANT TO _____ YOUR SISTER - Dir: None attached
LOVE GURU - Dir: Marco Schnabel
MEN MAKING MUSIC - Dir: Clay Tarver
NOWHERE LAND - Dir: Karey Kirkpatrick
PSYCHO FUNKY CHIMP - Dir: Ruben Fleischer
STAR TREK - Dir: JJ Abrams
THOR - Dir: Matthew Vaughn
TORSO - Dir: David Fincher
UNTITLED CAMERON CROWE - Dir: Cameron Crowe
YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY - Dir: Julian Farino
WINTER OF FRANKIE MACHINE - Dir: None attached
WORLD WAR Z - Dir: None attached

PARAMOUNT VANTAGE
AMERICAN STORAGE - Dir: Andrew Cohen
CAGED - Dir: Chris Kentis
DON READY (PREVIOUSLY CLAY HUJKO LIKES CARS) - Dir: Neal Brennan
DEFIANCE - Dir: Ed Zwick
DIRT - Dir: None attached

ROGUE
BELCOO EXPERIMENT - Dir: James Gunn
BFF - Dir: None attached
CASTLEVANIA - Dir: Sylvain White
DYNOMITE - Dir: Paul Feig
FIGHTIN' - Dir: Dito Montiel
LABOR DAY MASON - Dir: Will Gluck
LOST SQUAD - Dir: Leger & Mather
NEAR DARK - Dir: Sam Bayer

SCREEN GEMS
ARMORED - Dir: Nimrod Antal
BONE DEEP - Dir: John Luessenhop
THE BURIAL - Dir: None attached
THE CROSSING - Dir: None attached
INSANITARIUM - Dir: Jeff Buhler
LODGER D:David Ondaatje
KINGDOM COME - Dir: None attached
PHENOM - Dir: None attached
UNTITLED MARDI GRAS PROJECT - Dir: Phil Dornfeld

SPYGLASS
ANTHONY ZIMMER - Dir: Lasse Hallstrom
IRONBOW - Dir: Derin Seale

SONY
AGAINST ALL ENEMIES - Dir: Robert Redford
ALIEN UPRISING - Dir: Wolfgang Peterson
ANGELS AND DEMONS - Dir: Ron Howard
BASTER - Dir: Speck & Gordon
BIG MAN ON CAMPUS - Dir: None attached
BOND 22 - Dir: Marc Forster
BROTHERS - Dir: Jim Sheridan
EDWIN A. SALT - Dir: Terry George
FANTASY ISLAND - Dir: None attached
THE GRAYS - Dir: Wolfgang Peterson
I DREAM OF JEANNIE - Dir: None attached
JULIE JULIA - Dir: Nora Ephron
MONSTER HUNTER - Dir: David Dobkin
SAMMY'S HILL - Dir: David O. Russell
SEVEN POUNDS - Dir: Gabriele Muccino
STEP-BROTHERS - Dir: Adam Mckay
THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS - Dir: Steve Zaillian
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 - Dir: Tony Scott
TOKYO SUCKERPUNCH - Dir: None attached
YEAR ONE - Dir: Harold Ramis
VOYEUR - Dir: None attached

SONY CLASSICS
DANCING WITH SHIVA - Dir: Jonathan Demme

SUMMIT
DJINN - Dir: Nicholas Refn
NEED - Dir: Ryan Murphy
PARENTAL GUIDANCE - Dir: None attached
RAT BASTARD - Dir: Gary Winick
SEX DRIVE - Dir: Sean Anders

UNITED ARTISTS
THE BIRDCAGE 2 - Dir: None attached
PINKVILLE - Dir: Oliver Stone

UNIVERSAL
ABSENT HEARTS - Dir: Jim Whitaker
BARBARELLA - Dir: Robert Rodriguez
BIG BROTHERS - Dir: David Wain
THE CHANGELING - Dir: Clint Eastwood
CIRQUE DU FREAK - Dir: Paul Weitz
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON - Dir: Breck Eisner
DARK FIELDS - Dir: None attached
DRACULA YEAR ZERO - Dir: Alex Proyas
FAST & FURIOUS 4 - Dir: Justin Lin
HURRICAINE SEASON - Dir: Billy Ray
I, THALUS (PREVIOUSLY OLYMPIAD) - Dir: Pete Segal
LAND OF THE LOST - Dir: Brad Silberling
THE LOS ANGELES RIOTS - Dir: Spike Lee
LA SCORTA - Dir: Asger Yeth
MAN AND WIFE - Dir: Gabriele Muccino
MY NAME IS JODY WILLIAMS - Dir: Audrey Wells
NOTTINGHAM - Dir: Ridley Scott
ONE NATION UNDER BOB - Dir: Tom Shadyac
PHARM GIRL - Dir: None attached
PLAYBOY - Dir: Brett Ratner
REPOSSESSION MAMBO - Dir: Miguel Sapochnik
RIPD - Dir: David Dobkin
SANDS OF TIME - Dir: None attached
SCOTT PILGRIM - Dir: Edgar Wright
STATE OF PLAY - Dir: Kevin McDonald
SOURCE CODE - Dir: None attached
TRAVELING - Dir: Brandon Camp
TRUMP HEIST - Dir: Brett Ratner
UNDOMESTIC GODDESS - Dir: None attached
UNTITLED CHARLES RANDOLPH PROJECT - Dir: None attached
UNTITLED JON FAVREAU PROJECT - Dir: Jon Favreau
WOLFMAN - Dir: Mark Romanek

WALDEN
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA - THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER - Dir: Michael Apted
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA - THE SILVER CHAIR - Dir: None attached
CITY OF THE BEASTS - Dir: None attached
TORTOISE AND THE HIPPO - Dir: John Dykstra
RELATIVITY - Dir: None attached

WARNER BROTHERS
1906 - Dir: Brad Bird
ALTERED CARBON - Dir: James McTeigue
ARRANGED - Dir: Gary Winick
CARPE DEMON - Dir: None attached
CLASH OF THE TITANS - Dir: None attached
THE DIRTY DOZEN - Dir: Guy Ritchie
FARRAGUT NORTH - Dir: None attached
GUARDIANS OF GA'HOOLE - Dir: None attached
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE - Dir: David Yates
HEART SHAPED BOX - Dir: Neil Jordan
HIMELFARB - Dir: Miguel Arteta
THE INCREDIBLE MR LIMPET - Dir: Chris Columbus
JUSTICE LEAGUE - Dir: None attached, but looking to George Miller
LOSERS - Dir:
MEN - Dir: Todd Phillips
MORTDECAI - Dir: None attached
NIGHTCRAWLERS - Dir: McG
PENETRATION - Dir: Ridley Scott
SHANTARAM - Dir: Mira Nair
SHERLOCK HOLMES - Dir: None attached
SPOOKS APPRENTICE - Dir: Tim Burton
THE TOWN - Dir: Adrian Lyne
YES MAN - Dir: Peyton Reed

WARNER INDEPENDENT
DISASSOCIATE - Dir: Zach Helm
QUEEN OF THE SOUTH - Dir: Jonathan Jakubowitz
MAN WITHOUT A GUN - Dir: Pete Travis
MESSAGE FROM THE KING - Dir: None attached
RUM DIARY - Dir: Bruce Robinson
WHITE JAZZ - Dir: Joe Carnahan

THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
BERNARD THE GENIE - Dir: Richard Curtis
FLETCH WON - Dir: Steve Pink
I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT - Dir: David Frankel
GOING DOWN (PREVIOUSLY MUSKRAT LOVE) - Dir: Andy Fickman
NINE - Dir: Rob Marshall
THE READER - Dir: Stephen Daldry
SEVENTH SAMURAI - Dir: None attached, but looking to Justin Chadwick or Wayne Kramer
SHANGHAI - Dir: Mikael Hafstrom
TULIP FEVER - Dir: Peter Chelsom
ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO - Dir: Kevin Smith

WORKING TITLE
BAD NEWS INC. - Dir: None attached
BURN AFTER READING - Dir: Coen Bros
EVEREST - Dir: None attached
FOOD FIGHT - Dir: Steve Brill
IMPERIAL LIFE - Dir: Paul Greengrass
LOST FOR WORDS - Dir: Suzanne Bier
THE RIP - Dir: Roger Michell
ROCK THE BOAT - Dir: Richard Curtis
YOUNG AT HEART - Dir: None attached

Come On, Its Francis Ford Friggin' Coppola - Youth Without Youth Teaser

What I am Watching

What I am Watching:
300. Whoa. The most testosterone laden movie Ive seen since Peckinpah and Fuller. Lots of fun, too. A true comic book.

The Prestige. Dont miss it, its great. Christopher Nolan's best film and that is saying a bunch.

Bringing Out The Dead (1999) - I missed this somehow, Scorcese and Schrader and Grumpster fave, Tom Sizemore. Really interesting, and definitely dark and moody. Like dessert with Paul Schrader.

What I am Reading:
So You Want to Be a Producer, Lawrence Turman (producer of The Graduate, et al.) - Worth the read, though I dont know if it really addresses an answer to the title.

Great commercial, turns out not a coincidence

So i saw this great commercial during football Sunday. That its great is no coincidence. And that it uses music from Last of the Mohicans, composed by Trevor Jones (I think) is also no coincidence. Why?
Because the commercial was directed by none other than Mohican's director and Grumpster favorite Michael Mann. Check it out.

How I Got Here, Now Six Years Later

I've already posted this, last September 11th. Its a difficult day for me, one that continues to make me examine my priorities. And because I now live across the street from Ground Zero, its not very much a situation of Out of Sight, Out of Mind. I havent even been downstairs today, but I'll go take a look at it soon, the news trucks, the spectators, and other tourists of sympathy and disaster. Im not casting aspersions, it is what it is. And every year, as it becomes more chronologically remote, it becomes something a little bit more and a little bit less for me. More of an arrow, and less of an anchor perhaps.


******Previously posted, Sept. 11, 2006********

I used to work in law, in finance. These are jobs that may be exciting for some, a thrill for some. Others may fancy that they do these jobs for the good of the economy, of the world, in some way.

I did my jobs for the money, and for the freedom that the money would eventually, supposedly, purchase for me.

I was working for Deloitte & Touche, which is one of the largest consulting firms in the world. I sold and developed tax product for companies. Basically, I used my knowledge as a tax lawyer to design and implement tax strategies whose primary aim was to lower the world tax burden of some of the world’s richest companies and families. I’d previously done similar jobs at Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft, a white-shoe firm that is the oldest in the U.S.A, and at Ernst and Young, another monster-sized multinational consulting firm. I’d also worked a year in banking for Barclay’s Capital, the investment banking arm of one of Europe’s most venerable banks. Working for Barclay’s, I had made almost 400,000 dollars in one year. That year was perhaps the least happy year of my life.

My rise since graduation from law school at Albany Law School and Union (for an MBA) had been nothing short of meteoric. I spent two years in Boston at EY, before moving to New York. I was doubling my income every two years of so. I was following a path towards what I had originally set out to do.

A few years before, when I was attending Wesleyan University in Connecticut, I had an epiphany. I was following a course of only liberal arts: history, film, language, etc. I had no real career path, I was studying liberal arts. And my realization was that I should, at the age of 19, follow a path that would allow me to use what talents I had to make as much money as possible in as short a period of time as possible, which would allow me to do whatever I wanted to do with the rest of my life, on my own terms.

And what I wanted to do with the rest of my life was make movies. What I had wanted to do, from childhood, was make movies.

I left Wesleyan without even having applied to another school. I saw no point in wasting my parents money continuing to study things that wouldn’t pay off when I graduated (I thought – whether that assumption is right I don’t know, but I met an awful lot of people who went to liberal arts schools on Wall Street). I had to sit out a semester but transferred to SUNY Albany and began to pursue a path towards becoming a lawyer. I skipped through college, law school and business school and had completed the first step towards my eventual freedom.

Now, years later, working for D&T, a job I absolutely hated, a worthless job in my opinion, one that made no mark in the world, I was collecting money for my freedom. Of course, I was so bored with my existence that I often spent almost as fast as I earned. But that was just part of making my existence livable until I was free, could go and make movies.

On September 11th, 2001, I had an early conference call with London. Some project we were doing with a law firm over in London, and because of the time difference, the call was scheduled for 8AM. I normally got to my office right about nine AM more or less, which put me on the train from my then Chelsea apt. at 8:30 or so, and in the basement of the WTC (on the 2/3 train) at about 8:50 AM. I’d go up the escalators, and walk across the platform, and cross the walking bridge to 2 World Financial Center. It was a trip I made every weekday (unless I was on the road, which I was maybe a quarter of the time).

If I had done this at this time, on this particular morning, I would be dead right now, crushed by falling debris like the others who made the commute at the time that I always did.

But that morning I grudgingly made the trip an hour early, got to WTC around 7:50AM, up the escalators, and across the bridge to my office in time for the 8AM conference call.

The call was rather short, and was finished by eight thirty. I was probably hitting baseball scores on the Net when my phone rang. A friend from work, Elizabeth, was calling, which I thought was funny cuz she was always late for work and since she was calling me after 9AM, I thought she was just late again.

She asked me – Whats going on down there?

Me: What do you mean?

Her: A plane just crashed into the WTC?

Me: (incredulous) – What?

As I spoke to her, the second plane crashed into the WTC. It just looked like an explosion on the television I was watching, nothing but a fireball. You didn’t see the plane at all (until they replayed it later at low speed).

We left en masse from the building, and were basically herded out to the harbor that sits behind the World Financial Center. Huge crowds of people were standing, looking up at the burning towers, watching, stunned. Talking in disbelief.

I looked up and saw a piece of lumber falling from near the tops of one of the towers. It tumbled, thousands of feet. I asked someone about it. They told me that it was the tenth person they’d seen jump from the top of the tower.

Not eager to see anymore, to have these images recorded in my memory, I headed north. My best friend Drew lived on Chambers then and I thought I would try to get to his building, give my parents a call from his place to let them know I was OK. I’d spoken to them very briefly as I walked out of the building, but now my cel wasn’t working because the networks were overcrowded.

I got to Chambers St. and Drew wasn’t home. A neigjhbor of his let me into his apartment but the phone lines were busy and I couldn’t get my parents. A bunch of people were milling around in his lobby, including a young woman and her child. She was looking for her husband. He was in Midtown, she thought, but had been trying to get down to find her in the chaos. As we were talking, swapping rumors about more airplanes, we hear the first tower go down. But because we couldn’t see the towers from where we stood, we could only hear what sounded exactly like another airplane flying low in the sky. The sonic boom of the tower coming down exactly, cruelly, mimicked the sound of an airplane overhead. And because of the rumors of more unaccounted-for jets in the air, that’s exactly what we thought it was.

This young woman, I don’t even remember her name, grabbed her son from his stroller and we all took off north up the bike path which fronts the west side highway. The sound of the tower stopped and my heart stopped beating like it had been, in a way that I thought was going to give me a heart attack.

We walked north along the highway. We had nothing else to do. I carried the little boy, as he was too big for his mother to carry too far. We walked for ten minutes, until the first miracle I witnessed that day occurred. Walking perhaps a hundred yards away, in the opposite direction, on the other side of the highway, was this woman’s husband. And somehow, out of thousands of people, they spotted each other and were reunited. Everyone in our group stopped and stared. Seeing these people reunite under these circumstances was simply an event I will never forget for the rest of my life. I don’t remember her name, her face. But I will never, ever forget that moment. Its clear in my mind, five years later.

I got home perhaps an hour later. I lived on 29th street. I think I put the film Animal House on video. I needed something light, I thought, but I couldn’t really watch it.

I never really went back to work in the same way. My heart was never really in it after that. I worked from home, with disinterest. My firm relocated to a hotel in Times Square, but I hated going there, working in a hotel room. I hated most of my bosses, most of the unhappy people for whom I worked. I started looking for something else to do- a friend had opened a restaurant, and that was a business I had always found interesting. As I lost interest in D&T, I spent more and more time at the restaurant, until I began to manage the restaurant. It was merely a temporary thing, but in some very important ways it represented a huge step for me. It was a step away from living for tomorrow, a tomorrow that 9/11 made me realize might never come, and towards living for today.

While I was running the restaurant, a few things significant to my life’s journey happened. My relationship with my then-girlfriend, someone I thought I would spend my life with, fell apart. We were going in different directions, and the relationship shattered into pieces under the strain of these changes. It isn’t about fault, it just happened.

Another thing that happened that day was that I started a film festival. It was my first step into anything film related. The first festival was three films, none very good. About twenty people or so showed up. It has developed into a festival that receives perhaps six hundred entrants a year now.

But what really happened, what really started from the events of 9/11 in my life, was that I decided that all the things that I had put off for later in life, I began to do. I started looking for work in the film business. I started the festival. I got a motorcyle. I CHANGED MY LIFE. Because I realized that you can’t always count on tomorrow and, because of that, today is very, very precious.

I was very fortunate to survive that day. I've been fortunate to have a little bit of wisdom in following the path I probably should have followed from the beginning, one that isnt about financial gain, but about gaining everything else for myself. And I've been fortunate for the support of my true friends and family in making the transition in my life.

Thanks for your time.

Vanessa Hudgens

So what would be people's guess on how much money Vanessa Hudgen's private photos going public, cost Disney. Or perhaps, just perhaps, it made them money, through additional publicity.

On balance, I dont think so. High School musical is aimed squarely at an average american family audience that isnt likely to be too fond of this sort of stuff.

Recent estimates are that High School Musical 2 is worth about one billion dollars of revenue in combined rights to Disney, between the DVD, tv show, soundtrack, merchandize, a planned show, and the peripheral impact on Disney's programming. Thats alot to lose.

Personally, I (1) dont care about VH's decision to indulge in a little private photography and (2) think she looks great to boot. Its not like she wanted the pics public, and its funny how we're so ready to damn someone like Vanessa for a private picture like this, when we should be perhaps asking where it came from. The villain here is Vanessa or Zak. Its the jerk who dropped it. It would really suck if it ruins this young girl's career. Its such a meaningless thing.

Of course, I recently worked with another Vanessa who rebounded quite well from the unexpected publication of some photos. Her career has been spectacular, thank you very much. So who can say?

Review: Hair, at the Acorn Theater

Review: Hair, 40th Anniversary. At the Acorn Theater from The Real Theatre Company, Dir. Maggie Levin



Now I don’t claim to be any kind of theater guru. I know a lot about film. Not encyclopedic, but I can hold my own in most conversations. I understand the medium. But theater is a little bit more foreign to me. So take my review with a grain of salt. Cause whaddoiknow.

Anyway, I went with Adi and her friend Rona to see Hair this past Sunday. It’s the fortieth anniversary of the original production. I should say from the start that the show and its messages (other than the universal messages of racial harmony and peace) maybe aren’t my thing. While I am fairly liberal, I wont ever be confused with a hippie. I like my coffee when I wake up and I conspiculously remove body hair (comment filed under the too much information category).

But the show, despite a few rough patches due partially to technical/budget issues, was contagiously energetic and really got me. It started a bit slow, with its disorganization by design (after all, this is Hair) and the first act felt a little long, as the play set up the characters a bit. Real Theatre Co’s. version of Hair runs two and half hours, which someone joked was the director’s cut of the play. And it did feel a bit long.

That being said, after a brief intermission at the bar at the Acorn, on Theater Row, the play literally picked up an enormous amount of momentum and the second act flew by in a moment, culminating in a rendition of “Let the Sunshine In” that had the whole crowd singing and clapping along. Even yours truly, Grumpy, was among them.

Levin’s directing and staging, even at this modest budget, is quite sure-handed. Everything seems very well thought out. Of course, all of the singers are good and some are quite a bit better, upto Broadway quality. And all of the performances work, and I was pleased to see standout performances from a few of the actors cast in Digger, including Jessica Walck, Helen Highfield and the always entertaining and sometimes cross-dressing Adam Schneider. They are certainly not alone in a strong cast that keeps your eyes open, a smile on your face and your toes tappin’.

What more can I say? Go see it, tix are available online at ticketcentral.com. It ends soon, so do it now.

Grumps

American Gangster

Ridley Scott, Russell Crowe, Denzel, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding, I mean how bad could it be. Exec produced by Goodfellas scribe (and Casino) Nick Pileggi. But interestingly, not written by him. Perenial oscar bait Steven Zaillian on typewriter. Anyway, it seems like its been in post 4ever, so hopefully its not overbaked (though the trailer worries me a bit).

MY FUTURE WIFE

Holy cow. I am shocked this girl could figure out the panty hose she's likely wearing with her dress. That has to be the most amazing answer to a question I've ever heard. Thank god she was saved by the bell (get it? get it??)

Simon Pegg Fans Rejoice

He has a new movie coming out. Run Fatboy Run. Looks pretty good, even though its not Edgar Wright.

Too Good Not To Repost.

THIS WAS ON FILMDRUNK, TYLER DURDEN'S SISTER SITE> ...

Well folks, our prayers have nearly been answered. A sexy reader who wishes to remain anonymous has emailed me what she claims is Uwe Boll's personal email address: UBoll40163@aol.com. Drop him a line and let him know I'm looking for a fight. Or maybe just shoot him a link to my Top 10 Reasons he won't fight me.

Anonymous reader, who adds that Boll is very nice if you stroke his ego, also had a great story to tell:

I was talking to [name withheld], trying to convince him to have a Uwe Boll film night, because I thought it would be pretty hilarious for him to analyze his work. Anyways, he got all quiet and then told me that Uwe Boll cast his wife (a pretty awesome actress) in one of his films. So about a week before they were supposed to start shooting, he told her she was going to do a nude scene...she said she wasn't, he said "You will do it because I am Uwe Boll" so she told him to go fuck himself, and then he told her she would never work for him again so she laughed at him. And I guess the girl he replaced her with almost had a breakdown because when she was doing the nude scene he kept telling her how awful her body was and how he should have found someone more attractive.

That person also happens to be a very good friend of Ben Kingsley, who was paid 2 million dollars for a 3 day shoot during BloodRayne, saying that he would have done it for like, $10 000 if it were for anyone else, and that it was the worst shoot of his life, and if given the chance, would turn down the money and just not do it.

And last but not least, when they got rid of the German tax shelter laws that Boll used to make all of his films, he lied to some accountants, and somehow managed to keep abusing the tax shelters....and then got caught, and blamed everything on the accountants, who are now in jail, and Boll can't go back to Germany because there are people who will kill him. Which is why he spends all of his time in Vancouver.

Oh, and he hired the soup nazi to dress up as Osama bin Laden for one of his wrestling matches.

Hmm, that last part actually sounds awesomely bizarre.

What I am Watching

Heroes, Season One. Yes. Great show.
Accepted - Not exactly Animal House.
Serenity - My first Joss Whedon. I get it. Pretty good. Summer Glau rocks.
Action (1999 series with Jay Mohr) - A little bit overbaked. Definitely has its moments
Californiacation - First episode was pretty decent. Potential

Top Directors

How in the world did everyone forget Jim Sheridan?

The Insurgents Trailer

This is the trailer for The Insurgents, which I produced with John Gallagher of Angel Baby for writer-director Scott Dacko. Its kind of a work in progress trailer, but the movie has a bunch of upcoming screenings at the Montreal World Film Festival, the Edmonton Film Festival, the DV Film Festival in Seoul, Korea, and the New Filmmakers Series at the Anthology Film Archives in NYC. Its already won two best picture awards ((Oldenburg and Long Island Film Expo) out of three competition festivals played) and a best screenplay award at the other (at the Palm Beach Film Festival). Anyway, hope you'll enjoy and comment if you have something to say.

Check out this video: The Insurgents Trailer 1



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As Time Goes By

Mot film fans (heck most people within earshot of the media) are aware than in the last few days, we’ve lost two iconic directors, Bergman and Antonioni. These two were giants of cinema, among the most influential directors of the 20th century. (We also lost in late July, Laszlo Kovacs, a director of photography who might be best known for his terrific collaborations with Peter Bogdanavich (Paper Moon, Whats Up Doc), for Shampoo, and for 60’s classics like Five Easy Pieces and Easy Rider.)

This loss of talent got me thinking about who is left. Which directors left are the best working. We have the obvious giants, but if you had to pick, lets say ten directors not named Coppola, Scorcese or Spielberg (assuming they’d pretty much make every list, they are our modern versions of Chaplin, Keaton, Ford, Hitchcock, Hawks, Kubrick, Capra, Stevens, Wyler, Welles, etc.), who would you pick. We’ll limit it to film directors working primarily in the English language, cause otherwise, fughedaboutit.

List ‘em. Top ten. Go.

Life As NY’ers Know It.

I love NY. Love it. Well most things about it. I’ve been back from Lala land for less than a week, and I’ve had a great time. I missed my friends, my biz partner, my air conditioning, etc. a lot in the month I was away. Its nice to be back and to sleep in my own bed.

And then this damn dirty bomb threat.

I don’t know if its real. Its terrorism. Its about fear, about terror (duh?). Doesn’t matter if the threat is real, only if the FEAR is real. And its real.

As many of you know, I was very close to Zero on 9/11 (here is my post on that). I was very affected by that day. As a result, I may be more sensitive to the threat of terrorist plots than your average person (maybe even more than your average NY’er, maybe not though).

So when I hear things like the shit that’s been flying around this weekend, it causes my blood pressure to rise higher. That the shit is supposed to be targeted downtown, in my neighborhood, is just the added bonus.

And you know what? There is nothing anyone can do about it.

Kinda sucks, huh?

Airplane Bloggin’- Long Time Coming

Its been a full month in LA, and I’m finally on the plane back to New York. This is the longest I’ve been away from home in years and I am looking forward to being in my own bed (with air conditioning, good reliable wireless internet, cable and normal television, a good shower, a complete wardrobe, a lack of invading ants (recently stemmed thanks to some effective bug spray) and all the other comforts of home). That being said (and being true), I did have some fun times in Los Angeles, and under better circumstances it would have been even more of a good time.

Of course, its almost axiomatic that nothing really happened, workwise, for the first three weeks or so that I spent out there. Once I’d gotten to LA, we quickly scheduled a meeting with financiers for Slaughter and Digger, and that meeting happened within a few business days of landing. Since that point in time, though, nothing much was going on, at least nothing that required my presence in LA particularly. Then after I made my travel plans back to New York, without fail, a bunch of meetings, with members of the Slaughter/Digger teams, with people with film projects, with Reveille (makers of Ugly Betty and The Office) pop up that have to be crammed into the short time period before leaving. And for some reason, my social schedule seemed to fill up and all of a sudden, I had plenty to do, was busy with new work possibilities (read, producing possibilities) and meetings and parties and get-togethers at nite. It actually had me considering pushing back my return, which had already been later than I wanted because of flight availability. But in any event, I am on my early AM flight home.

One thing about LA that is a little unusual at least if you didn’t grow up around it. The groups of people you end up in, at parties, tromping around from bar to bar (well, tromping by car), may often, depending on who, include celebrities. One nite out spent with some new friends included Nicole formerly of the Pussycat Dolls. She was a totally polite, normal person (not celebutized in any way) which was refreshing. Her sister, who was in for her birthday, is a wildcat partier, but I imagine Nicole has had her share of those opportunities already.

Other than that, life was fairly normal, even to the point of beginning to establish patterns. And now its back to the New York patterns. For how long, I am not sure. Maybe only a few weeks until I head off on location to get it going on Slaughter and Digger. For now, I am going to enjoy being home.

Grumps

Jack Black in The Shining

How good is this imitation of Nicholson by Jack Black. Classic.

Repost

From The Hollywood Reporter Risky Business Blog, covering Comic-Con



In addition to a Mediterranean feast at the "300" DVD party Friday night at Petco Park, organizers also gave attendees a feast for the eyes as a dozen guys dressed as Spartans and a few women who appeared to be the Spartan equivalent of pole dancers entertained guests. Among those guests were David Arquette, Paul Reubens and pretty much the whole cast of "Blade Runner" that had been on hand earlier in the day at the Warner Bros. Home Video panel. Hours into the party, I happened to pass by Sean Young — sporting a kicky coif and bright red lipstick — right as she approached Frank Miller with a smile, stuck her hand out and said, "Hi, I'm Sean." (Karen Nicoletti)

How Sean Young? When one of the Batman movies was casting, she turned up at the Paramount gates (Schumaker Batman) dressed as Catwoman. I can almost see the mad twinkle in her eye.

Tagged

SOOOOO. Even though I’ve been described as anti-social, even as a blogger, I’ve been tagged. The very funny/cute/married Julie O. tagged me. I am supposed to disclose ten things about myself that, well, here’s dem rules.

Once you’ve been tagged, as I have, you must write a blog with ten weird, random things, little-known facts or habits about yourself. At the end, choose at least 5 people to be tagged, list their names and why you picked them. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you’ve been tagged” and tell them to read your latest blog.

And away we goooooo….

1. Though I am a producer now, I wanted to be a writer growing up. I do a bit of writing now, but I did quite a bit of short story writing in my teens. Some of it was good, and some of it was porn.
2. I have thought at least three times that I was going to be married to the woman/girl I was dating at the time. The first time was with my first serious girlfriend, Kristen. The second time was with my law school live-in girlfriend (also a law student), Krystallo. The last time was with another live-in girlfriend, Jeanne, and the only time that I really feel a loss over, in that I think it might have worked but circumstances prevented it.
3. This is hard. Yikes. Maybe I am not that open a person. I’ll come back to 3.
4. I am somewhat fascinated by the concept of people moving through your life and spending time with them and then not seeing them anymore. That friendships are fleeting sometimes. I’ve been fascinated by this for years. It took me a long time to come to terms with lost friendships.
5. I always wanted to be in the movie business. I thought that I would wait until I was 40-45 to give it a shot, because I knew it was a hard road. Only the events of 9/11 and my proximity to them made me switch careers earlier.
6. I found working on Wall Street the most boring thing I’ve ever done. Any job I spent time in – every morning I’d have to coax myself out of bed just to go to work most of the time.
7. The worst year of my adult life, personally, was the year I made the most money (almost 400K).
8. I spent two years seeing a therapist. It was one of the best things I’ve done for myself. I stopped when she told me she thought I had achieved my goals in seeing her.
3. Back to 3. Um. Still tough. I am blocked on 3. Here is goes. My second toe is longer than my first. That’s a cop out. When I was young, I used to be on a swimteam. I hated getting up in the morning and getting into the freezing cold pool (even though it was summer, in the mornings, that pool felt very cold). I also hated getting up at 6AM for practice. I can’t imagine it was that much fun for my parents to be driving us there at that ungodly hour. Anyway, I used to sneak away and hide in the showers (hot showers) during practice, until the coach would notice I was gone and send someone to come and get me.
9. My first three girlfriends were Korean. The second, after I broke up with her, attacked the third and beat her up in front of a crowd of friends. I felt a small bit of pride about these two attractive women coming to blows over me. I couldn’t help it, and it was only ended when Number Two girlfriend (hehe, couldn’t resist) jumped in my car and took off at high speed. My car!

I am over the asian thing.
10. I’ve had pretty successful long distance relationships, or relationships where we only spent a few days a week together. E.g., Jeanne lived part of the time with me, and part of the time in Long Island. My best times with Krystallo were the summer we saw each other only on weekends. I broke up with my first girlfriend shortly after she started at University of Albany, where I was going to school, our first unimpeded time in our relationship (she had a very restrictive home life).

God. That’s is. I am done. What a learning experience. I’ll tag five people who I am sure will be very surprised to be tagged by a near stranger.

Tagging

annie
julie
rachel heather
patrick
dixon

What I am Watching

Saw III - Not so bad. Some good stuff. Ultra gory at the beginning before calming down quite a bit.

Ratatouille - Full of heart. Not a barrel of laughs like Shrek but a very good solid stroy story and a classic toon that will play forever. Peter O'Toole is a classic too.

Hot Fuzz - To me, funny but a little bit overhyped. I liked it though I wish it went a bit further- the last thirty minutes are the best and I think they could have been well served by getting there a bit sooner and playing up the very fun homage(s) to American action movies. A lot of fun, nonetheless.

Dexter season 2 premiere - the fun continues. One of the best shows on tv.

Family guy - season three. Every bit as good as the Simpsons, maybe better.

Comic-Con Bloggin'

{I wrote this piece for a column for John Gallagher's National Board of Review Column, Between Action and Cut. If you havent been there and are a film buff, definitely check it OUT.}

Many of us saw, and enjoyed the carnally humorous “The 40 Year Old Virgin.” It was sexually raucous and some of the scenes (especially, for me, the waxing man-o-lantern bit) were unforgettable. Judd Apatow cemented his status as one of the current kings of comedy with that piece.

A subplot of the movie has Steve Carell's character, Andy, selling his collectible collection on Ebay. His character has an enormous collection of ephemera from popular TV shows, comic books and other American "culture."

Well, I just visited Comic-Con in San Diego. For those of you who cannot imagine an enormous, Jacob Javits sized-convention center housing 125,000 Andy's in search of their next Steve Austin action figure, let me tell you, it does exist. Its in San Diego, its an enormous collection of collectibles, movies, tv shows, comic books, video games, and the people who love all of the foregoing, and much more. And Hollywood definitely is paying attention, more than ever.

I was down at Comic-Con for the weekend, doing research for the upcoming marketing that will be necessary for the two horror movies I have shooting this fall (including your own John Gallagher's “Digger”). I had heard that horror films had made their presence felt at Comic-Con, and because I wanted to see and understand what a fellow producer labeled the “End Game” in getting a project out in the market, I ventured down to the “Con” to see what it was all about.

And what its about is everything that is nerdy. The nerds rule.

You approach the football stadium sized building on waterfront property, overlooking part of the gorgeous San Diego harborfront. The Andys don’t look at the harbor, they are way too focused on getting inside and sampling the goodies. As you approach, hawkers (except they aren’t selling anything) lob T-shirts for upcoming shows in your direction – I got tees for the “Bionic Woman” show and some show called “Chuck.” The masses congregate and cross, in groups, into the convention center where you present your badge (security is very light and there is much badge-sharing going on) and venture inside.

That’s when the smell hits you (one producer termed it “Nerdstink”).

Think back a bit to high school. To the guys and girls who spent a little too much time in the arcade, or playing video games, or drawing skulls on their forearms. And a little less time than average on personal hygiene. This is their domain, and trust me, they do mark their territory.

Add the adrenaline rush and accompanying smell of perspiration from an Andy, maybe in his mid-twenties or mid-thirties or mid-forties, who is for the first time seeing, close up, the “Iron Man” artwork, while listening to Robert Downey, Jr., in person, discuss what it was like to strap into Marvel Comic’s favorite super-hero suit. It’s a rush for Andy. And there are perhaps thirty thousand of him and his brethren at any one time inside the convention center. Add the availability of cheap high carb food, caffeine and few visible restrooms. Well, you understand.


Many of the folks who attend come in full costume. Literally, hundreds of storm troopers roam the floor, in full gear, with their laser guns. Only a fraction of them are hired “guns,” most are there freelancing for fun. (An aside – a friend told me that at Con 2006, Mark Hamill attended and as he walked up an aisle he came upon a few dozen storm troopers. They spotted him and began to run towards him, at which point he turned and broke into a full Luke Skywalker sprint in the other direction. Must have been quite a site). There are Vaders and Trekkies, and Heroes and Spidermen and Wonderwomen and all sorts of other dressed up folks, some in outfits which are interesting yet entirely unrecognizable (to me at least).


This is not to take away from the overall grandeur of the event, which can, in limited doses, bring out the Andy in almost anyone. Comic-Con is literally everything for which a genre fan could hope. It goes way beyond the usual suspects from the Studios and major comic book companies (although the studios and major comics companies are in prime position and are the most conspicuous). There are lesser known comics, unknown comics, straight-to-DVD movies, memorabilia and collectibles of every type, including no shortage of weapons fashioned after those found in movies like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. There is also original artwork, in many variations and much that has a certain, shall we say, Boris Vallejo quality to it. Buxom, scantily clad women seem to be on the mind of your average Andy and a central them in much of the original art and in many comics too. That’s OK. Lucy Lawless was in the house to let everyone know that this artwork has its basis in fact.

As for the horror I was seeking, it was pretty limited. I’d read that Comic-Con had refashioned itself as a family-friendly event (there isn’t much they can do about the scantily clad women walking around all day and evening, whether working to attract attention to a particular booth or just their as guests), and other than Lions Gate and Picturehouse (yes, Picturehouse has a horror film), there were few displays for upcoming horror films. There were posters for a few more, but for the most part, Comic-Con has minimized the horror film element in favor of films like “Spiderwick Chronicles” and the dozen or so others trying to be the next Harry Potter.

I don’t mean to say its limited to action-adventure, sorcery and sci-fi (oh, my). As I said, Jenna Jamison was there promoting her bio-pic and comic-book. And plenty of comedies, including Apatow’s upcoming “Superbad” and the new Dane Cook vehicle “Good Luck Chuck,” were both the subject of significant promotions. A shirtless Dane Cook impersonator covered in red lipstick kisses held court next to the Lions Gate booth for most of Saturday.

One change from recent years is that the biggest draws, panel-wise, are some of the TV shows. Apparently the “Heroes” panel drew the biggest crowds of the Con, with 4000 people jamming a panel room within minutes of it opening. Other shows like “Lost” also drew huge crowds at previous Cons. (Incidentally, I spent most of my time at the Con with Louis Lombardi, who played Edgar the computer programmer on “24,” until his character was killed off. Louis also played the FBI agent who flipped Vinnie Pastore on the first two seasons of The Sopranos. We didn’t go five minutes without Louis cordially posing for a picture or signing an autograph.)

I don’t know what to take away from the whole Con experience. Some things about it are a little bit, shall we say, strange. The level of detail and investment of people in the minutia of these shows, movies, games and comics is, to me, startling. But it is axiomatic that the audience is never wrong. And this is the Audience. For the studio marketers and the other companies at the Con, it’s the litmus test of fan approval.

William Goldman opined in Adventures in the Screen Trade, a book that he wrote in 1983, that movies were either comic books or not comic books, not literally, but as a metaphor for the type of story that was told. He said that Hollywood mostly only was making comic books (twenty three years ago). He seemed to lament this as a loss.

I wonder if The Princess Bride was a popular panel at Comic-Con.

What I'm Watching, What I am Reading

What I'm Watching
Entourage Season IV. Yes!
Borat - Funny but remarkably uneven. Way overhyped, i thought. Brilliant performances, though. But like the show, kind of a one joke wonder. And the producer's body, I just didnt need to see that. Ugh.
William Castle's Homicidal -Dated psycho ripoff from the master showman. And I didnt even figure it out.
Friday After Next. It is what it is. Has some good stuff. Katt Williams with the pliers is a funny bit.
Battle for Shaker Heights. Say whatcha want, I liked it. I liked the script a bunch.
For Your Consideration. Good, though felt like it coulda been better than good. Some very funny stuff, tho.
Biggie and Tupac. Great, spooky doco. Check it out.

What I am Reading
Making Movies, by Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico). Pretty interesting so far.

I am so connected

I have internet at home (well, LA hovel home) again. For about a week or so, I’ve had no connection. And before that, I had a connection but my ill-tempered and short for this world Ibook wasn’t connecting because of some new security issue. Then the artist formerly known as roommate disconnected the service from our place and I was without internet, even just as I was discovered a way to fix the security issue, on my own, technical wizard that I am (NOT!).

After some bandying about, and figuring that no 22 year old rocker was going to step forward to get internet service in their name, I signed up for it. And for some reason, it took until today for AT and T to turn that damn signal on. What a wait. I’d taken to spending long hours in starbucks and Cheebo (which is nice anyway, much better than Starbucks, which can be Freakbucks depending when you go). I’ve stopped by Jay’s and even parked outside the Slamdance office to use their internet. On a Sunday. In the heat.

Anyway, I feel like I’ve been let our of prison, because I finally (for the moment at least) have working internet. It wasn’t working all day, for some reason. The reason why it wasn’t is that one of the rockers, a none-too-bright one, couldn’t figure out that to make it work, you need to plug the DSL line into the socket that says DSL, and the phone line into the socket that says Phone. She thought the opposite. Clever girl.

But I’m on now. I’m downloading the latest Entourage. I am checking baseball scores. I may just surf all nite.

(Less) Grumpy

Cheebo Blogging: Not Just an Indulgence

(Blogging from the Sunset Blvd restaurant Cheebo, a local favorite. Great salsa).

So a lot of the time, movie stars having rock bands are simple indulgences. A lot of the time, but not all of the time.

I went to hang with my friend Lev and his friend Paul last nite in Santa Monica. Paul is a pretty well known character actor – can play basically anything. He directed a great play in LA this past winter (does LA have a winter?) and he was the studio boss on Entourage last season, the one that booted Adrien Grenier from Aquaman. Anyway, so we hung at Lobster on the Santa Monica pier for a few hours (they have surprisingly amazing food, including kobe beef that was one of the best things I’ve tasted in a long time, for a restaurant that looks like a tourist trap) and then headed to a little benefit in Culver City for the Actor’s Gang, which is some kind of LA-based actors group doing theater.

We got there and paid our ten dollar suggested donation (fyi, donations in LA don’t seem to be suggested, even if they say so, its just an LA way of smilingly asking for money for a ticket, like when a studio exec smiles at your great idea before calling security?). Anyway, we got inside and found seats, and I hear Kate Nelligan and some chubby short dude do some covers of Jefferson Airplane tunes. They seemed to be having a great time, but it wasn’t exactly Grace Slick. Not should it have to be, and they just seemed to be having fun.

But Tim Robbins was lurking stage left. Don’t know if you’ve ever met him, I have a few times, or at least seen him up close, including at Liberty Studios when he was regearsing for the Henry Bean movie, Noise, he shot last year. Anyway, he is tall, like college basketball player tall. And he’s also in Bull Durham, which I love but which is neither here nor there. And he’s grooving off stage, listening.

I walked out after the mini-set of Jeff. Airplan, and then I hear the band start up again. And so when I walk back into this hundred seat theater, Tim Robbins and a band are playing. And I’ll tell you…

He’s pretty damn good. He did a few songs, including some Dylan and some Bob Roberts stuff (for the young and unitiated, Bob Roberts was a movie Robbins did fairly way back about a musician turned presidential candidate who was basically a phony). And he did Jersey Girl, a Springsteen anthem. And all the little actress girls in the Gang got up on stage and grooved like they were from Jersey. It was a lot of fun, he had quite the onstage presence, great delivery and a good voice. The band was tight.

So its not always an indulgence.

I had fun, thanks for asking.

Grumps.

Mel's Doing Great

Mel Gibson, on vacation in Costa Rica. Go Mel.

Dumbfounded

I was on Myspace just now. Yes just now. Really, i just clicked over. (Thats not funny).

Anyway, there was a link for Drama film, and an url pointing to amazon.com. And some generic tag like, see the amazing gripping thriller. So i clicked it, curious what it was for.

I was directed to amazon, to the page for a movie that was shot in Bulgaria several years ago. I recall being in Bulgaria recording the score for My Brother (no I didnt record it myself, we have people for that, and they are paid less in Bulgaria, and are generally better looking, but thats neither here nor there. They walk more. They also smoke. They tend to be thinner, but probably get lung cancer. Like Israelis.)

Anyway, the excellent (formerly excellent?) director Bruce Beresford was directing John Cusack and Morgan Freeman in a thriller. I dont remember if it had a title back then, but the title of the DVD release is The Contract. Yeah, you heard me, the DVD release. As in, straight-to, do not pass go, do not collect box office rentals.

Beresford is an excellent director responsible for good movies in a number of genres. He's best known for Driving Miss Daisy, but also did the excellent, Black Robe, and Tender Mercies, and Breaker Morant. And here he is working with two very good (if not great) actors. The movie, how little could it have cost Avi Lerner and company in Bulgaria? 15 million? 12 million?

I haven't heard anything about it one way or another, quality wise. I have often wondered what happened to it, because I remember talking quite a bit about it when I was there. It was just after the Millenium (Avi Lerner's company) Brian DiPalma production with Scarlet Johnassen and Hilary Swank, another movie I haven't seen. Anyway, I guess I am surprises that a movie with that quality of talent couldn't even get theatrically released. Especially because its a thriller with a name cast, and even if it was terrible, it probably woulda raked in some money anyway.

My guess it that either (1) some theatrical rights situation is preventing it, or more likely (2) the movie is bad, there is limited upside to releasing it theatrically, and Millenium has already recouped the entire budget of the movie because THEY SOLD IT BEFORE THEY MADE IT. And thus, they have very little incentive to see it through, especially if the talent has disavowed it because of a lack of quality. If they arent gonna stomp for it, then in fairness to these gods of direct to video, the Nu Image/Millenium boys, maybe its the right move. Its just hard to image that it could be that bad. How many bad movies have Freeman and Cusack made? Not many. None jump to mind.

I suppose that may be exactly why they might choose not to promote this one, although thats completely speculation on my part.

Historic/What I am Watching/Reading

I cannot believe it. My internet wireless connection went down for no reason yesterday. Absolutely, worked one moment, dead the next. And with my busy social life out here (NOT), it sucked pretty bad. I tried everything, including endless searching on the net while physically plugged into the router in the main house.

After almost a full day of on and off searching, I found a Mac helpsite that gave some suggestions for fixing this problem (with the particular error message I was getting- it seems that macs, while they dont get viruses, have other sorts of problems that people often randomly experience and post about online - thats been the case whenever I've had a Mac problem).

Anyway, finally, i followed these steps, trial and error style, and I am wirelessly connected to the internet again. I am a little incredulous, because I am not particularly technical. And I am having some problems with the safari browser, which wont let me connect to certain sites because of security concerns. Blogspot, included, I am posting using Camino.

But Im back, in any case, and pretty damn excited about it . Can you tell?

Anyway, here I am.

What I am Watching: Lords of Dogtown, Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Office Season 1, Search and Destroy (someone should have destroyed the DVD before I watched it).

What I am Reading: Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes by famed sales agent John Pierson. A fun read but probably only for those in the biz.

ON THE CHEAP IN LALA LAND

So there are some very nice things about LA and the LA lifestyle that I am coming to learn. One of the foremost is the utter cheapness of living here, and the selection of things to do on the cheap.

I went hiking last week. It was a mere ten minute drive from my place. Now, I am not comparing the hiking to being up in the Adirondacks in New York, which are bucolic and lovely. The trail was a little dry and dusty, and you’re never really that far from feeling like your in a city. But still, the occasional porn star down from the valley hiking there helps make up the difference.

COST: One buck parking fee. You can’t even get on the train in NY for that. Not even close.

I went to a jazz series opening at the Hollywood Bowl with some friends last Wednesday. And while there are certainly seats that are more expensive, the general admission seats for this concert, featuring Queen Latifah (who was excellent) and a ten piece Jazz ensemble, were very comfortable and allowed us, once we’d moved off center, to spread out and have a picnic with the wine and food we were permitted to bring into the place. So a nite out with music and a picnic.

COST: $12 bucks for the seat and seventy five cents? for a seat cushion. BYOB.

Similarly, last nite, much of the same crew from the concert went to the Hollywood Forever cemetery screening. Basically, you queue up outside on the grass for an hour or so, then they let everyone in to place, and you stake a claim with your blanket, food, booze, etc. on the grass opposite the white wall of a very conveniently placed mausoleum, which is right opposite Hitchcock’s tomb. (Incidentally, they began this series with Vertigo, which to me is a little weird, but Hitch probably would have dug it). They project the movie on the side of the mausoleum and voila. Between seven and when it gets dark, you basically sit there and listen to a DJ spin. Last week, when the movie was Fast Times at Ridgemont High, they spun eighties music, and Amy Heckerling was there for the show. (No word on Sean Penn). Since the movie was Milos Forman’s amazing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, they spun mostly older seventies hippie tunes. And everyone gets a little loaded while waiting for it to get dark enough for the movie to start, which made it a little weird because while the movie is inspirational, it had the effect of making some Angelinos laugh an inappropriate moments.

Movie Aside: So many years later, Cuckoo’s Nest stands up. In the wake of the torture of prisoners in Cuba, the movie is extremely timely. It also doesn’t have a false note, pulls no punches, has a great score and incredible acting. Its basically perfect, and I have a suspicion that it would play pretty well if released theatrically now. If I can make one movie nearly that good in my career, well, that’s a career. Fucking amazing, and I’ve seen it half a dozen times or more.

Anyway, so we sat there, watched a great movie (and they have a good project and great sound system), and chilled. Of course, there is all the waiting but that can be fun. I ran into (well, she spotted me somehow in the crowd) Jen Getzinger, who was Darren Aronofsky’s script supervisor and then on Sex in the City for years, before attending AFI. She was with her producers, and we chatted a bit. It was nice seeing her unexpectedly like that.


COST: $10 (a suggested donation, but not really the vibe I got when we walked up – you gotta pay).

I drank a little too much and have a bit of a headache today. But it was another fun time, and far preferable to hanging in a stuffy bar.

Grumpster