May 15th, 2007 by screenwriterguy
 Variety says the next Mamet movie has found its final cast member… Tim Allen.
This is a joke, right? Like April Fools, ha ha? Chocolate and peanut butter, sure. But Tim Allen and David Mamet? I’m not seeing it… |
LEVENE
I’ll tell you who’s to blame. It’s Mitch and Murray, that’s who.
TIM ALLEN
ARRRRRRRUUUUAAAGH?
LEVENE
We just need the leads. The good leads. The Glengarry leads.
TIM ALLEN
Topo Gigio. Oh Hoo Hoo Ho!
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May 10th, 2007 by screenwriterguy
 OK, not quite secret messages, but hidden enough if you don’t speak Spanish.
In tonight’s episode, as in the first season’s finale, Catalina spoke directly to the viewer. She delivers the lines as if angry, but they’re really messages of thanks to the audience.
If my high school Spanish is trustworthy, tonight she said something like, “Thanks for watching our program. We’ll miss you this summer,” before telling Earl she thought it was funny he thought she would want to help Joy.
I’m less sure what Marlee Matlin’s message was when she entered the court room, but I think it was, “Don’t look at me like that, you son of a bitch!”
Tonight’s was a funny, funny episode. The scenes involving Marlee Matlin were brilliant. |
Posted in Television | 1 Comment »
May 10th, 2007 by screenwriterguy
 “It’s silly. It’s a silly movie. There just isn’t much there. Once you take it all apart, there’s not much story, is there?”
That’s what George Lucas reportedly said about Spider-man 3.
Um.
I haven’t seen Spider-man 3, yet. I’ve heard it disappoints. But… the guy who wrote Annakin’s line about not liking sand because it’s all rough and scratchy, unlike the smooth softness of Padme (worst dialogue effver…) thinks Spider-man 3 is silly? The inventor of Jar-Jar Binks is pointing fingers? |
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May 10th, 2007 by screenwriterguy
Rumor has it, the powers that be at CW are liking Rob Thomas’s Veronica Mars remix, where she skips past college and the show picks up a few years later with Veronica in training for the FBI. Combined with the scheduling holes left by the cancellation of Seventh Heaven and The Gilmore Girls, and since VM could be a solid partner to (very) likely new series Gossip Girl, suddenly Miss Mars is looking a lot more likely for a fourth season. People have been guessing the show dead for a while, so today’s buzz represents a powerful turning of the tide.
NOT coming back, however, is The Wedding Crashers. That would be the recent NBC show where improv actors ruined people’s weddings for fun. (Don’t worry! The bride and groom are in on it, so it’s all OK!) Bad, Ashton Kutcher. Bad! This show was second for worst idea ever only to giving those Geico cavemen their own series. (But the caveman pilot tested really badly, so there’s even more good news.)
Then, Variety reports that House scored ratings in the same league as American Idol. Sure, maybe House hasn’t been as captivating as it once was. Sure, maybe House hasn’t actually overtaken Idol’s numbers yet. And sure, House owes it’s ratings to Idol’s lead-in. But this is a scripted show approaching the numbers of the almighty unstoppable reality octopus that has destroyed prime time on all networks. I say good trend.
So, by ignoring a lot of contrary facts, I can offer this summary of today’s news: Cool, character-driven scripted shows–2, Lame reality monsters–0.
Hooray for Hollywood. At least for today.
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May 9th, 2007 by screenwriterguy
From time to time, I glance at the statistics for this web site. The most entertaining aspect is seeing what people search for that brings them to my domain.
This week, someone googled the phrase “Christina Ricci naked super Blade Runner.”
I’m not sure precisely what that searcher was hoping to find, but I like the way he thinks.
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May 8th, 2007 by screenwriterguy
Sometimes the title of a post speaks for itself. Here are my thoughts about some of the worst changes to Television over the last 25 years or so.
| #10 |
Inescapable commercials
Commercials are going to be a theme for this list. We’ll start with the fact that they now bleed into the SHOWS THEMSELVES! You do your duty and watch your two minutes of messages from our sponsors. You come back, and there’s MORE! It’s harmless enough that the network pops their logo onto the lower right corner. Sure, it blocks a small part of the screen, but it’s actually almost helpful when you’re channel surfing. Not helpful? The motion graphic ads overlaying the bottom fourth of your screen telling you five or six times during your show about how you should watch some other show. Leave me alone! (A fantastic parody arose, back when Joe Millionaire was frequently chased across the bottom of the screen by money-grubbing female suitors. The Simpsons did their own, animated version of the ad, with Homer distracted by the intrusion.) |
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Posted in Top-Ten Lists | 7 Comments »
