Make me ashamed that I'm not willing to embrace the hangover and bum smokes and wake up bruised. They make my pussihood all too apparent. How did I get like this?
Lyric of the day, from Stuck Between Stations: She was a really cool kisser and she wasn't all that strict of a Christian.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Would You Like That To Go?
From the Hollywood to English Dictionary:
Take Out, v. To introduce a pitch or spec script to potential buyers (aka The Town).
In the real world "take out" is used in reference to Chinese food. And garbage.
In the not real world you "take out" the pitch or script with the goal of it being "picked up". Which, yeah, sounds pretty much like the garbage analogy. Just without the curb.
Forget I said anything.
Take Out, v. To introduce a pitch or spec script to potential buyers (aka The Town).
In the real world "take out" is used in reference to Chinese food. And garbage.
In the not real world you "take out" the pitch or script with the goal of it being "picked up". Which, yeah, sounds pretty much like the garbage analogy. Just without the curb.
Forget I said anything.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
I'm confused
I don't get it. What's this Obama guy talking about?
Oh, wait.
Is this what intellectual honesty sounds like? Is this what conversing like grownups sounds like? Is this what a necessary political speech without patronization sounds like? Is this what addressing unpleasant realities and owning them sounds like?
Is that what telling the truth sounds like?
I could get used to this.
Oh, wait.
Is this what intellectual honesty sounds like? Is this what conversing like grownups sounds like? Is this what a necessary political speech without patronization sounds like? Is this what addressing unpleasant realities and owning them sounds like?
Is that what telling the truth sounds like?
I could get used to this.
Friday, March 14, 2008
More Lingo
From the Hollywood to English dictionary:
The Town, n. 1. Los Angeles. 2. Except not all of Los Angeles. 3. Really just the film and television business. 4. Which thinks its all of Los Angeles.
People who work in the industry like to refer to the industry as The Town. Which, I guess means The Town refers to the town as The Town.
The Town is a collective. The Town speaks with one voice. Right now, I'm being told that The Town hasn't indicated whether it's business as usual yet following the writers' strike. The Town is waiting to see how the actors' contract shakes out. The Town can be coy.
The Town is also emotional. During the writers strike, the town was clinically depressed. The town didn't shower for a month. The town subsisted on Cherry Garcia and Cheetos and a tivoed Dog Whisperer marathon.
One day The Town decided that all meetings would come with the option of cold or room temperature water. Except the town didn't actually offer room temperature water -- the Town asked if "you wanted it room?" Because the town doesn't have time for superfluous four syllable words like "temperature".
Just like when you phone someone and they're not in (i.e. not in for you), the Town asks if the person you're calling can "return". The town is much too busy for the words "your call". The Town is an ergonomic ballet with no wasted movement.
"Hi, Dave Wells calling for The Town."
"She's in a meeting. Can she return?"
My feeling is - of course - she can return. She has every right to return. Why couldn't she return?
Unless The Town has banished her from the town.
The Town, n. 1. Los Angeles. 2. Except not all of Los Angeles. 3. Really just the film and television business. 4. Which thinks its all of Los Angeles.
People who work in the industry like to refer to the industry as The Town. Which, I guess means The Town refers to the town as The Town.
The Town is a collective. The Town speaks with one voice. Right now, I'm being told that The Town hasn't indicated whether it's business as usual yet following the writers' strike. The Town is waiting to see how the actors' contract shakes out. The Town can be coy.
The Town is also emotional. During the writers strike, the town was clinically depressed. The town didn't shower for a month. The town subsisted on Cherry Garcia and Cheetos and a tivoed Dog Whisperer marathon.
One day The Town decided that all meetings would come with the option of cold or room temperature water. Except the town didn't actually offer room temperature water -- the Town asked if "you wanted it room?" Because the town doesn't have time for superfluous four syllable words like "temperature".
Just like when you phone someone and they're not in (i.e. not in for you), the Town asks if the person you're calling can "return". The town is much too busy for the words "your call". The Town is an ergonomic ballet with no wasted movement.
"Hi, Dave Wells calling for The Town."
"She's in a meeting. Can she return?"
My feeling is - of course - she can return. She has every right to return. Why couldn't she return?
Unless The Town has banished her from the town.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
Pigs Doing Backflips
From the Hollywood to English dictionary:
set piece, n. an elaborate sequence which sees either a chase, fight, or other action taking place in an original and memorable way. Trailer moments.
For my money, there are two types of set pieces -- organic and stupid.
As the word implies, the organic ones happen naturally and serve the story. Again, obviously, they arise most readily in action flicks because, um, they're action flicks. There's no action if you don't have Neo going all slow motion on somebody, or Harrison Ford falling a nautical mile out of a drainage pipe, or Jason Bourne just trying to brush his teeth.
But in comedies it's trickier. Especially with more character-based comedies. Because these are typically stories that wouldn't have set pieces. If you're dealing with two reasonably intelligent characters, odds are not good that they would actually end up hanging off a cliff with lemmings running up their pant legs.
What complicates matters is that studio execs love the idea of set pieces. Why -- because it's an easy critique. To the point that the phrase has become the go-to response for less than energetic development execs. They use set pieces as a crutch, because no one is calling bullshit.
Hey, here's an idea. Let's list every movie that tanked last year. I bet they all had set pieces.
Set pieces - as a tool for selling a movie - may have had a place five or ten years ago. I'm not arguing that it didn't make sense to look at it like this: Some movies had natural set pieces. Those set pieces were used in trailers. The movies made big ass money.
But trailers -- like everything else -- evolve. I'm not convinced set pieces sell movies like they used to, because audiences have evolved. They won't be fooled again. Good, natural set pieces sell movies -- but that's because those movies have naturally big moments.
Maybe I'm just sensitive to this right now, because I've been handed the note to add a few set pieces. But you don't just slap some hijinks in. Audiences are smarter than that. Juno -- like it or not -- made a hundred million dollars by at least showing some respect for their characters.
You want to force set pieces just to say you have set pieces? Then you're going to end up with The College Road Trip. Which will make some money, but that's because of the names and the marketing dollars, not because anyone finds tasers to the gut or pigs doing backflips funny.
set piece, n. an elaborate sequence which sees either a chase, fight, or other action taking place in an original and memorable way. Trailer moments.
For my money, there are two types of set pieces -- organic and stupid.
As the word implies, the organic ones happen naturally and serve the story. Again, obviously, they arise most readily in action flicks because, um, they're action flicks. There's no action if you don't have Neo going all slow motion on somebody, or Harrison Ford falling a nautical mile out of a drainage pipe, or Jason Bourne just trying to brush his teeth.
But in comedies it's trickier. Especially with more character-based comedies. Because these are typically stories that wouldn't have set pieces. If you're dealing with two reasonably intelligent characters, odds are not good that they would actually end up hanging off a cliff with lemmings running up their pant legs.
What complicates matters is that studio execs love the idea of set pieces. Why -- because it's an easy critique. To the point that the phrase has become the go-to response for less than energetic development execs. They use set pieces as a crutch, because no one is calling bullshit.
Hey, here's an idea. Let's list every movie that tanked last year. I bet they all had set pieces.
Set pieces - as a tool for selling a movie - may have had a place five or ten years ago. I'm not arguing that it didn't make sense to look at it like this: Some movies had natural set pieces. Those set pieces were used in trailers. The movies made big ass money.
But trailers -- like everything else -- evolve. I'm not convinced set pieces sell movies like they used to, because audiences have evolved. They won't be fooled again. Good, natural set pieces sell movies -- but that's because those movies have naturally big moments.
Maybe I'm just sensitive to this right now, because I've been handed the note to add a few set pieces. But you don't just slap some hijinks in. Audiences are smarter than that. Juno -- like it or not -- made a hundred million dollars by at least showing some respect for their characters.
You want to force set pieces just to say you have set pieces? Then you're going to end up with The College Road Trip. Which will make some money, but that's because of the names and the marketing dollars, not because anyone finds tasers to the gut or pigs doing backflips funny.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Grand Is Right
Grand Archives enjoy DNA from Band Of Horses.
Plus, there's whistling that doesn't make me want to kill anyone, which is rare. So whistle while you can, because when I am king... punishable by death.
Plus, there's whistling that doesn't make me want to kill anyone, which is rare. So whistle while you can, because when I am king... punishable by death.
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