Change Of Address

Just a head’s up to anyone out there who’s following my little blog, I will be changing the web address soon to: http://writeonandon.blogspot.com/

When I make the switch, please change your bookmarks accordingly.

Jealous Much?

This guy who is a theatre director worked in my office for one year, before landing a directing fellowship. Since then, his career has kinda taken off, except for a one week stint back in our office before his off-off-Broadway play debuted. Well, now it’s a big hit and it’s been extended until September. Even celebrities have stopped by to see the show, including Paul Newman and Robert Redford. So he stops by our office today to have lunch in the fancy dining room with one of the big wigs he used to work for here (probably trying to raise money, I would imagine. For what I don’t know). So the ladies are always praising him and saying how wonderful things are for him, etc. Then they sorrowfully look at me, like when is something good gonna happen for you? Yeah, when is something good going to happen for me? That’s the million dollar question!

Then, to add insult to injury, there’s a posting the other day on our internal website about how this guy won a screenwriting contest. So I email him to congratulate him and we exchange emails. Turns out he won the contest with only his second script.

So, yep, I’m jealous.

P.S. the house in LA is not going to work out. The guy’s roommate has decided to extend her stay another six months. So it’s back to square one…

Weekly Recap

• Two producers requested my comedy, one of which already passed on it.
• My film director friend emailed feedback on my comedy.
• Exchanged emails with Mr. Movie Star’s producing partner about meeting in NY. Still waiting to hear back about when we’re actually meeting.
• Emailed Mr. Manager to follow up about his call to the prodco for my horror/thriller. Still have not heard back from him …
• Submitted my latest horror/thriller to Script Shark.
• Mailed my horror/thriller to my classmate’s prodco.
• Wrote some pages for the family comedy I am co-writing.
• Still waiting to hear back about the temporary apartment in LA.

That's Life

Heard back from the one of two people who requested my comedy from the networking newsletter. He thought it was funny and would make a “nice TV movie”, not a movie for the movie theaters, which is what he’s looking for. “A nice TV movie?” Riiiight. I’m sorry, but this is a movie movie, NOT a TV movie. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. If somebody wants to make it a TV movie, be my guest. I’ll cash the check.

Then. Then! The wife of the feature director who’s reading the same comedy calls from Australia about a different matter (plus, she invited us to the film premiere in May --yay!). She tells me he has read my script and to follow up. So I do. Shoot ‘em an email. He replies back tonight and says “it was a good script and probably very commercial.” Actually, too commercial for his taste.

So lemme get this straight. I’ve got one guy telling me it’s not commercial enough for a theatrical release and would be better suited for a TV movie. Then, on the other hand, I’ve got a professional film director telling me it’s very commercial. LMAO!

I should just become my own director. I keep saying that, but I think that’s probably what it will come down to someday. Tune in …

Meanwhile, still trying to pinpoint a time to meet Mr. Movie Star’s producing partner. The last date I suggested to meet in LA he said he will be in NY. So, I told him I’m currently in NY, let’s meet there. Waiting to hear a time he’d like to finally meet.

Then, I talked to my dad and he tells me to call my brother because he just had a biopsy yesterday. Lovely. Apparently, he’s had this rash and suspects it might be lymphoma. Let’s hope not. He already had Hodgkin’s Disease, so this would not be good. Hopefully, he’ll be okay. And if it is lymphoma, hopefully they caught it in time to eradicate it from his body. Ugh. And here I thought he looked the best I’ve ever seen him the last time I saw him in October.

That’s my day in a nutshell.

The Upside of Anger

Saw this lovely little movie tonight starring Joan Allen and Kevin Costner. It was very good. Two thumbs up. This and IN GOOD COMPANY are my favorite movies of 2005 so far. Go check it out. It's an adult drama/comedy. And it has a great twist at the end that comes out of left field. Didn't see that one coming!

Some news on screenwriting: posted a blurb about my comedy in a networking newsletter and received two requests for it already. Yippee Skippee.

Random thought: Carolyn on "The Apprentice" cracks me up with her facial expressions. She seems like such an uptight be-yotch. You couldn't pay me enough to work for that woman.

Random thought II: Thank God Mikallah got the boot on “American Idol”. Oh my God, that voice! Is she related to “The Nanny”? Despite that, something tells me we’re going to be seeing more of her in the acting field than the music field.

Random thought III: Watched “Chasing Farrah” last night and she is a fascinating woman to watch. She’s so … zany! And that beach house. Where do I get one of those? And how does she afford it, she’s barely worked since the ‘80s.

Random thought IV: "Entertainment Weekly" begs the question -- who's your favorite housewife? Without a doubt, Bree Van De Kamp.

All Things Just Keep Getting Better

I love that tune from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy". And that's the way I feel at the moment. I feel rather revved up. Rarin' to go. Maybe because Spring is in the air, although you wouldn't know it. It just snowed again yesterday. Or maybe because I'm getting more excited each and every day about moving to the coast. I cannot wait to see the palm trees and the mountains and the ocean. Oh, and the sun! Ahhhhhhhh. Heaven. So much to do to get ready. It's a little mind boggling, but it'll all fall into place.

Nothing to report on the screenwriting front. Though I am going to submit my latest horror/thriller to Script Shark tomorrow. It'll be interesting to see how they judge my masterpiece ... Well, it is! Okay, maybe it's not a masterpiece, but I think it's damn good, if not on a professional level. I guess that's what I need to know -- is it on a pro level? I will just say up front, if they pass on it, I will be devastated. Like jump off the Brooklyn Bridge devastated. I'm hoping for at least a consider. We shall see. So let's hope they're not fishing my body out of the East River in a few weeks. Okay, I'm just kidding about the jumping part. And besides, I might be in LA by then, so a jump off the Santa Monica Pier would probably be the way to go, LOL!

Refreshed

That's how I feel for once. Refreshed. I like that word. I'm ready to rock 'n roll. Don't ask me why or how. I just am. Maybe it's because I had a few days away, or maybe it's because "Project Greenlight" inspired me. Or maybe both. I mean, if those writers can land representation at ICM and that director can continue to work without getting fired, there's hope!

Forgot to mention, I may have found another temporary place to live in LA. Still waiting to hear back, though. Raul looked at the house, but not the room. He said it's a nice house, though, and I think south of West Hollywood. Other than that, I haven't done much to get my butt out there. However, my goal is to finish the family comedy I am co-scripting first. It's slow going, but I'm working on it. Just gotta keep the momentum up.

Back To The Bullshit

That’s what I always say when I return from my travels. It’s such a slap in the face to return to reality. I hate it. Usually takes me a while to recover, sometimes a week.

Anyway, I’m back. For real this time. Had a nice time in Florida. It reminded me again that I want to live in a warm climate. Cannot wait to live in California! My Birthday celebration was nice. Couple of relevant presents to screenwriting I received was a nice bottle of Francis Ford Coppola’s wine and THE INCREDIBLES on DVD. Love that movie! Looking forward to seeing the new “Jack-Jack Attack” short.

I was good and did not go online again after my last post on Friday. I was itching to jump online, believe me, but their dial-up was just too slow. It was a well-needed break from the computer. When I returned last night, I discovered Mr. Movie Star’s producing partner finally emailed me back. He wants to know when I’ll be in LA next. Looks like I need to plan a visit to Cali and pronto.

I'm Baaaccckkk

Made it to Florida and guess what's staring at me in the guest bedroom ...? Yep, you know it -- my step-father's computer! So of course I had to jump online, LOL! Old habits die hard, let me tell you. My excuse was to look up bronchitis on www.webmd.com because my step-father is on his death bed, hacking up a lung and he thinks that's what he is suffering from.

So here I am writing from sunny Sarasota, FL. The flight was terrible. Lotsa turbulence. So much, in fact, we had to descend to a lower altitude to avoid the bumps, thereby, taking longer to fly down south. Our plane left an hour late (the plane was late arriving and delayed on the runway due to heavy traffic), but the pilot thought we could make up the time in the air, until we hit the turbulence. Oh well, at least we made it in one piece.

I tried to upgrade to first-class, but it was full. In fact, the entire plane was full. Every last seat was taken. Luckily, I had a window seat in the emergency row and there was no seat in front of me, so I could stretch out. The guy sitting next to me had a dog in a bag underneath his seat and it did not make a peep the entire flight. Actually, I didn't see it until we landed and he opened up the bag to let the dog out. It was the cutest thing, a Shiatsu, I think.

Anyway, I read my latest horror/thriller on the plane, and I've decided, if this script doesn't sell, then something is seriously fucked up. Now I have to make a decision: should I submit it to Script Shark for coverage and analysis to see what a pro Hollywood reader thinks about it, and/or try to find another agent to rep it? Something to ponder in the next few days.

Okay, I gotta jump now and go soak up some rays!

Going Dark

There will be no new postings in the next few days because I will be in Florida visiting me mum and step-father for my Birthday. Raul will be flying in from California on Friday night to join us for the weekend and then we’ll fly back home together before he goes off to Italy, yet again, the next day. My cousin Aaron and his girlfriend Harmonie are coming over from Orlando for dinner on Saturday night, too. Will be nice to see them again.

Okay, where was I? Oh yeah, my Birthday. Ugh. I hate Birthdays. Who wants to celebrate getting older? Yuck. So the last few months have been very difficult and I think I finally figured out why: because I’m turning a horrible age this year that I can’t even bare to mention. Usually, I’m excited about the possibilities of the New Year, but this New Year has been very different. I think this number (my new age) has reminded me I ain’t getting any younger. And I guess, deep down inside, it kills me that by this age I, essentially, don’t even have a career, yet. I’ve put all my eggs into one basket, but there’s no guarantee it’s ever going to pan out. How’s that for gambling with your life? And the more I do it, the more difficult I realize it is to break into the movie business. But I can’t stop now. I want to be a screenwriter more than anything in the world. I would cut off my right nut, if I thought it would help. Well, no, maybe my left one. But I have to remind myself that I’ve had to overcome several obstacles to get to this point and I really haven’t been doing it that long. It just feels like it. Like an eternity sometimes.

Well, I didn’t want to turn this into an essay, but it just keeps going and going like the Energizer bunny. Basically, I’m just concerned about an uncertain future. Yadda, yadda, yadda. That’s probably why I have a cankersore (stings like a bitch), my lower back aches and my teeth hurt because I’m stressed with a capitol ‘S’. Bitch and moan. Bitch and moan. Break out the violins and play me a sad tune.

On the screenwriting front, there’s not much to report. Except, I made a last ditch effort to meet with Mr. Movie Star’s partner this Friday before I go to FL and he goes off to Australia … But I never heard back. :( Perhaps, he thinks I’m being too presumptuous? I don’t know. All I know is I’m trying to be more aggressive. That’s why I sent a second email to my classmate re: my horror/thriller. And guess what? He still didn’t reply. Son-of-a-bitch! So, screw it, I’m just going to send my script directly to his prodco he is a partner in with at least one other alumnus (<----- is that the correct spelling?).

So, until next week, hasta la vista, baby.

What A Day

Flew first thing this morning to LA. First-class, but of course. Rented a Mercedes at LAX (it was that or a gas guzzling SUV). Checked into the Peninsula. Unpacked. Made a few phone calls to confirm my appointments. Drove to West Hollywood for a breakfast meeting at an outdoor café with Mr. Producer. He “loved” my writing. Interested in “pursuing my script further”. What does that mean? No money? Drove over the hill to the Valley for a brief meeting with Mr. Agent I and II. They presented me with a contract and I signed it on the spot. Suppose I should have checked it over with an entertainment attorney first. Oh well, live and learn. They want to go to market with my next script, though. Love you guys! Drove to Toluca Lake to have lunch with a friend before my meeting at Universal with Steven Spielberg. Yep, thee Steven Spielberg (Steve, if you know ‘em well). He wouldn’t shake my hand. Germ phobic. Who knew? So he passed on my script, but wants me to consider another project to rewrite. Sure, I told ‘em, I’ll read the script and consider it (but of course I’m going to take the job! It’s Steven Spielberg for crying out loud! Not to mention I need the money). Drove down the freeway to Santa Monica for my next meeting with Mr. Manager and he presented me with a contract, too. That’s nice, but how about an offer on my horror/thriller? Keanu Reeves was meeting a friend for coffee right next to us. I wanted to lean over and tell him I hated CONSTANTINE, but alas, I kept my mouth shut. Drove to the Hollywood Hills next and met with a realtor to look at a house. Apparently, it once belonged to my favorite soap star, Finola Hughes. Cool beans. And fab view. Then drove back to West Hollywood to have drinks with Mr. Movie Star. Can’t say who, it’s top secret until he signs on the dotted line. Said he wanted me, I mean, my script to be his next project, before he did another line of coke. Great. Then got interrupted by a phone call, thank God, and it was Mr. Manager with an offer on my horror/thriller – high six figures against low seven!

And then I woke up.

How was your day?

What A Scream

Watched the premiere of “Project Greenlight” tonight. All I can say is: I cringed when they chose John Gulager as the director. His directing reel might have showed talent, but his personality and presentation sucked. Way too quirky. Clearly, the winner should have been James Ryan. How they chose Gulager is beyond me. Very disconcerting.

However, I’m glad they chose FEAST as the script. I actually read the revision posted at PGL and it was pretty good. I can’t believe how Matt Damon and Wes Craven basically trashed it, though. That’s gotta hurt. Why do I have a feeling this season is going to be very painful to watch with Gulager at the helm? Like an accident on the side of the road you can’t take your eyes off.

And don’t even get me started about “American Idol” tonight! Oy vey! They all tanked, except for my boy Bo and Nadia. And well, Constantine was kinda good, too, not to mention … well, you just know he’s gettin’ a lot of booty on the side with those come fuck me eyes.

See what happens when Mario checks out? AI falls apart. Here’s hoping we haven’t seen the last of hot-to-trot Mr. Mario Vazquez. Something tells me his “personal reasons” for leaving the show have more to do with a better offer. Let’s hope so.

Breaking News

I sold a script!

No, just kidding. But that would be so nice to say:

I.

Sold.

A.

Script.

Okay, back to the breaking news:

Mario Vasquez QUIT “American Idol”!!!!! WTF?! Why would you QUIT AI? Why, God? Why?! Mario was da-bomb! Why would he do this? He was one of my early picks to win this thing. Not to mention, he’s cute as hell. Still rooting for Nadia and Bo Bice, but Mario was my front runner. Damn, this is so disappointing and one less reason to watch AI. Mario, Mario, Mario. Why’d you do this to me? WHY?!?!!?!?!

Weekly Recap

• Spoke to Mr. Agent II who passed on my comedy; he also passed on both horror/thrillers by email ... but requested my romcom. Whew!
• Mr. Manager said he would call the prodco for my horror/thriller.
• Queried another manager by email for my new horror/thriller, comedy and romcom ... and he passed on all three.
• Queried yet another manager by snail mail both horror/thrillers and my comedy.
• Exchanged emails with Mr. Movie Star’s producing partner to iron out a time to meet in LA ... the jury’s still out on that one.
• Emailed my classmate about my horror/thriller again after I saw he made yet another sale on Done Deal.
• Revised my romcom before I mail it to Mr. Agent II.
• Wrote some pages for the family comedy I am co-writing.
• Went to the gym and for a walk for the first time in a long time.

All in all it was a good writing week. Cheers!

Well, I'll Be Damned

I pitched Mr. Agent II one last, final time ... and he bit hook, line and sinker! Yay! The irony is Mr. Agent I in the same agency already passed on it two years ago. Ssshhh, don't tell anyone! :) It's a second chance on the romcom I had lost hope on. Here's hoping it rises out of the ashes like the Phoenix. See, I'm thinking positive thoughts here. Though, in the back of my head I already know what's going to ... oh, never mind. Positive thoughts. Positive thoughts. So I've re-read it twice and slightly tweeking it before I send it off to the land of Hollywood. I'm still in a state of shock that Mr. Agent II passed on my new horror/thriller, though. I thought for sure this was a high concept idea that he would dig, shop around and make a huge sale with. I know, wishful thinking. It is a cool script, though. Lots of great action. And I had such a blast writing it. I'm debating whether I should submit it to Script Shark for coverage, and if it gets a 'consider' or 'recommend', they will help shop it around. It just cost a big chunk of change, so we'll see.

Meanwhile, Mr. Movie Star's partner emailed back and said he will be in Australia March 25th and to contact him the first week in April to figure out a time to meet. Bummer. So, it looks like my visit to LA will have to wait. Just hope something really good transpires. It will. It must. If anything, I can use this trip to LA to, hopefully, meet the manager repping my horror/thriller, see some friends and maybe look at a few apartments. I need to get my butt out there. NOW!

Update

Spoke to Mr. Agent II and, of course, he passed on my comedy. Knew that was coming, otherwise, I would have heard from him. Said he liked the writing, but the gay factor is very difficult to sell in this day and age (no thanks to Bush, I'm quite sure). And here I thought gay was in. Apparently not. Pitched him both of my horror/thrillers by email and he passed on both of those, too. Son of a bitch. Not him. I'm just saying -- son of a bitch! Now what? I'm afraid to pitch him anything else. Mind you, these are very commercial ideas. I swear.

Finally, heard back from Mr. Manager about my horror/thriller and he's going to contact the prodco I queried who said they don't accept unsolicited material without an agent/manager.

Pitched another manager by email my horror/thriller and comedy ... and he passed on both. Not his thing, he said. Well, what is your “thing”, pray tell?

Which brings me to a question. What if I were actually signed with one of the above agents or managers and I submitted a script to them that they didn't like? Would they still shop it around? Well …?

Today, I saw my classmate's name on Done Deal. The same jerk I sent an email to who never replied. Bastard! Think I'm going to email him again and/or submit my script to his prodco.

On the LA front, Raul checked out the apt. and said it was not for me. And tonight I got an email back from Mr. Movie Star’s partner. He wants to meet for coffee next week. Um, okay. Except, I’m not in LA. Yet. Going to email him back to tell him I can meet on Friday, March 25th or some time that weekend because next week (even though I’m really going next weekend) I am going to FL to visit my mother and meeting up with Raul for my BDay.

Minor celebrity sighting today: saw Pamela from "The Apprentice" on 42nd St. She's much better looking in person! She looked fab in slacks and matching poncho. Not to mention, she's an amazon! Very tall and glam.

Crossroads

My life is at a crossroads.

As I plan a move to the west coast, I keep wondering if I'm doing the right thing. Should I really give up the job I have now that affords me the time to write to take a new job in the industry that could potentially suck me dry of time and energy to write? Will being in LA really make a difference in my writing career? Since it seems the odds are stacked against any writer selling a spec these days, I'm thinking I need to be in CA so I can use a writing sample to land a writing assignment. But what if my writing isn't good enough yet? What if I'm not good in a room? I know I shouldn't second guess myself, but these questions linger in the back of my head.

And then, I wonder, maybe I should direct another short film, instead of moving, and if that's successful, raise the money to make a feature. It's all about making things happen and doing it yourself. I'm in a job now where I could easily raise the money to do a short. However, the thought of doing another short is scary because directing is so grueling. And what if it flops? That would just be killer.

So I'm leaning towards the relocation to La La Land. Actually, tonight I have to make two phone calls that could change everything, or nothing at all. Tonight I have to return Mr. Agent II's call (yep, he actually returned my call) and call Mr. Movie Star's producing partner to speak, hopefully, about a job opportunity. Perhaps, I should even ask the agent what he thinks my chances are of using my scripts as a writing sample to get assignment work, if I were out there. And tomorrow Raul is going to look at a temporary apartment in West Hollywood. Let's hope something good develops.

Weekly Recap

• Sent two queries for my romcom.
• Left a message for Mr. Agent II re: my comedy.
• The manager repping my horror/thriller said he would call the prodco who will only take submissions from an agent or manager; he also wanted to know if I plan to rewrite it? I said I wasn't planning on it, unless he has some notes; still waiting for his reply.
• Worked on the outline AND the script for the family comedy I am co-writing.
• Still have not heard back from my classmate re: my horror/thriller. So much for him.
• Saw two bad movies: BE COOL and OCEAN'S TWELVE. Blech and blech!

Worst Case Scenario

I've realized (well, I knew this before, but I put it out of my mind) that I think very negatively. I always think the worst will happen, instead of thinking positive. I need to reprogram my thinking. It's hard though. What's that saying about a leopard's spots? A leopard will never change its spots, or something. Anyway, I'm trying. At least I recognize the problem. Now just need to nip it in the butt.

So I picked up "Creative Screenwriting" tonight, and of course, there's this lovely article about the state of the spec script market. Needless to say, it's rather dismal. However, they did say a good spec could get one meetings, which could lead to assignment work. All the more reason to be in LA. Cannot wait to be in sunny, tropical weather!

As of tonight, still waiting to hear back from the manager about calling that prodco for my horror/thriller. Why hasn't he replied yet? Oy. Fired off another query by email to a prodco for my romcom. Still waiting to hear back from my co-writer about the actresses' managers. I give 'em a simple task and he doesn't even follow through on it. Well, okay, I should give 'em some slack. His aunt recently passed away and he's trying to take charge of her estate because she had no will and there's no money to bury her, unless they can get their hands on her estate. Last I heard the poor thing was still at the morgue!

Okay, so I think the "fog" is starting to lift. I'm feeling a little better every day. I just need to think positive thoughts. Good things are on the horizon. I can feel the good vibrations.

Blip on the Radar

I actually received a response to one of my recent queries! Yay!! Of course it was a standard "we don't accept unsolicited material" message, but who cares -- at least I FINALLY heard back from someone! So I emailed back and asked if I could have a manager contact them. Answer: yes. So I emailed the manager who is supposedly repping this script and asked if he would call them. Still waiting for a reply. Though I don't have access to my home email from work anymore, so who knows, maybe he replied. But I won't know until I get home tonight.

And speaking of still waiting, still haven't heard a peep from my classmate. What a bastard. I'd like to think there's a logical explanantion, but it's been a week. Or maybe I'm just being impatient. Though something tells me I ain't gonna hear. Evah. Oh well, his loss.