Summertime Clothes

Heard this new Animal Collective song a week ago and it's been running in a continuous loop in my brain ever since. Continuous. Endless. Song ends, song starts again. Repeat.

And I still like it.

a poignant rememberance

I'm a little slow with my year in review, but that's because I was having trouble even thinking about that year. The one between 2007 and 2009. The one I won't speak to directly. The one I will only address in the third person even when it's in the room.

But I'm past that now. I've come to terms with that year. Part of the healing process was starting to refer to that year by my own little pet name for it. Fucktard. Cute little fucktard.

From here on out it will go something like this: Michael Phelps won who-knows-how-many gold medals in the fucktard summer Olympics. Or, remember when Tina Fey took over the world, oh yeah, that was back in fucktard.

If it hadn't been for the Obama election I would have enlisted an extension cord to make sure the toaster reached the bath tub.

BUT, one awesome thing about fucktard was that, musically, I was in sixth grade again. Nothing but singles. I'm not sure I bought a CD.

So, in no particular order, the 12 best singles of fucktard.

Sigur Ros - Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur

Tokyo Police Club - Your English Is Good Yeah

Passion Pit - Sleepy Head

Air France - Collapsing At Your Door

Hold Steady - Sequestered In Memphis

MGMT - Time To Pretend

Pela - Lonesome Hearts (the Cassettes Won't Listen Remix)

Frightened Rabbit - Head Rolls Off

The Soft Pack (formerly The Muslims) - Bright Side

Delta Spirit - Motivation

Air France - No Excuses

Born Ruffians - Hummingbird

I told you

Nice to see that even the heavy hitters aren't immune. John August talking about the current demise of his version of Shazam!

"I got notes from New Line and the producers — mostly about set pieces, and keeping Black Adam from becoming too sympathetic — but before I could get started, the WGA went on strike. I couldn’t write, nor did I talk to anyone involved for 100 days."

Set pieces. Heh heh.

Sucks

So I was listening to Indie 103 the other day (online, for what that's worth), when out of the corner of my ear I hear somebody saying something about who'd have thought they'd have such a great five year run and somebody else was tossing out general good-byes and then... that was it. Just like that.

Maybe that's what happens when Rolling Stone calls you the best radio station in the country.

Yes, they're still "broadcasting" online, and some of the dj's will continue hosting the specialty shows on their own dime (for at least the time being). But still. Shit's not right.

The Second Oldest Profession Is Making Shit Up

Some people have noted that there used to be more screenwriting talk here. That's because there used to be more screenwriting. Or at least more screenwriting business.

Or at least more screenwriting business done by those who aren't in the upper echelon of professional screenwriters. And by that I mean the very small percentage of writers who are hired to revise the relatively small pool of scripts at the top of the studio development pyramid.

If you're not one of those folks, the last year has been an unwelcome vacation. That's because, since the fall of '07, studios have been smacked around by the Buster Douglas of uncertainty. It started in November of 2007 with the writers guild strike, followed in the spring/summer of 2008 by a potential actors strike, upstaged in September of '08 by a national economic meltdown, and capped off in the fall of the year by the return of the actors' strike.

Which means Hollywood took the year off from the spec market -- the flabby middle section of the studio film development torso.

In terms of developing spec scripts, the studios literally sat on their hands, the fence, and their wallets. Okay, clearly not literally, but you don't want to break stride when a barrage of "sitting" metaphors comes your way.

But, hopefully, after nearly 15 months, Hollywood is close to getting it's streetwalking ass back out to the curb. Because, yes, sugar, I need a date.

Right about now -- to which I am openly contemplating sacrificing something virginal or delicious -- SAG leadership is coming to terms with the fact that there are just too many variables working against them to take AMPTP to the mat this time around.

As a WGA member, I've gone from being firmly behind SAG leadership, to watching AFTRA eviscerate them, to realizing the timing is just plain against them taking a crack at what they're after.

You can get a more specific overview here.

But my feeling is that at this point, they're going to have to take the deal they've been offered, spend the next three years solidifying all the creative unions under one banner for the next round of negotiations, and call it a day. Or, rather, more than 180 days since biz could have gotten back to normal.

Did I mention I need a date.

It's Too Easy To Mock...

But what if -- just imagine it -- what if everyone did this.

Everyone but me of course, because, I mean, Angle Grinder Man is taken. I told you it was too easy to mock.

Asleep At The Switch

So I'm late to the game. Somehow The Touch Alliance managed to dodge my radar for at least a couple years. Not sure how they managed that when they're like a speedball of Bubble Yum and Pop Rocks.



Followed by a line of pure, uncut Pixy Stix (straw conveniently included). You know, as an eye opener.



Then, just to take the edge off, there's the Gummi Bear suppository. Don't ask. But hear more here.

And, yes, I was alerted to the fact that The Tough Alliance was recently seen sharing a booth at the Racine Comfort Inn with ...