LIFETUS INTERUPTUS

Yes we disappeared. Yes we neglected our loyal viewers, readers and others. We were working on an original TV pilot for contest submission and then blew it, cause they wanted only non-original material, a spec of something already airing on TV/Cable. So not only are we morons for neglecting you guys, we are morons period. And my 14 year old dalmation Sparky died.

So these last few weeks I have been stupid and sad. Hope you will forgive our absence, cause we have lots to share.

ARE YOU FUNNY?
We are loking for a man or woman that is funny as hell and loves doing on the spot stuff. SPENT TV has a new reality series, and we are looking for the host or hostesy with the most or mostest. Production begins in two weeks. Email our casting director at labfilmla@yahoo.com if you are interested.

MOMS AND POPS UPDATE

Cary and I have been dealing with the continuing dilemma of being first time directors - which actually is a bunch of bs as far as we are concerened, cause we've been directing for over ten years with some pretty amazing results. But when dealing with people that you are asking to invest 2 million dollars on your dream, we get why there may be some hesitation. We aren't just asking for lunch money. What's funny is, one way they "assess"your talents is by seeing how many credits you have on IMDB and what your popularity index is, two things you can buy - yes you read this right - BUY.  Consultants charge you to pump up your numbers and to find "projects" willing to atach you for $$$$$.

So you can have less experince and more credits if you have some extra money to throw around. We don't, cause we actually use that 'extra' money to create the content WE DIRECT.

So, we are hoping a very talented man, ADRIAN CARR, will come on board to direct our project.  We are in the midst of one last script polish and then it will be off to him. Hopefully he'll say yes. 

We are considering OLYMPIA DUKAKIS for the role of MOMS also, stay tuned on that one too.

SO IN THE MEANTIME... A SILENT SHORT?

Like the 'seasoned' industry vets we are - lol - we learned early on not to dump all your dreams in one basket, so we have a second low-low budget feature on the SPENT burner ... a romcom. The cool thing is we have written a silent short as a prequel that we plan to shoot at the end of the summer. It's a definite acknowledgement to the fun and freedom of the recent Oscar winning black and white silent movie THE ARTIST. We haven't yet decided if we are doing the whole black and white thing, but we are locked in on the no-talking thing. More to come....

ADULT ANNIE MAKES A NEWSWOTHY APPEARANCE

Hugs and congrats to PORTLAND HELMICH,  our "Adult Annie" star,  for scoring a guest role on Aaron Sorkin's NEWSROOM. Woot woot! Getting recognized for the tlent we know she has is awesome! Will keep you posted on the air date.

HELP KEEP SPENT TV GOING!

We are a straight out-of-pocket company. If you like what what you see, please donate! All monies go directly to the cost of production. Even one buck helps. Click on the donate button at the top of the page!   Thank you!

TriBeCa Briefs

Cary recently abandoned the entire SPENT TV team to head to the TriBeCa Film Festival .  To say he had a great time was an understatement - he had a fabulous time! Five days of parties,  booze, free food, networking and some good films to be sure. Besides great photos there was one takeawy Cary got that I found interetsing. He spoke with one women who is pretty entrenched in the film world in NYC and was formerly here in production in LA She said that the NYC production norm is INDIE, meaning, the NYC pros work so much with indie film that they are willing, eager and more than capable of working in low budget environments. She said it was absolutely different that way than LA.  She even offered up some tips the locals use to get low cost housing for talent  in NYC (a thing thta is often a pain in the ass). It was wonderful to hear because our feature project MOMS AND POPS  has a budget under 2 million and is set in NYC. Looks like we might just be able to pull it off. 

One of Cary's TriBeCa film recommends: Mira Nair's "The Reluctant Fundamentalist." 

Here's one review:

http://entertainment.time.com/2013/04/25/the-reluctant-fundamentalist-how-a-nice-islamic-guy-got-mixed-up-in-terrorism/

Go see it when it hits your local cineplex. And if you hate it - blame Cary.

ECHO PARK ART WALK  - OTHERWILD

SPENT TV paid a visit to the Echo Park Art Walk last weekend in search of new talent of any kind, we made a couple of acting talent connections and met a pair of writer/directors we may collaborate with in the future. We also stopped in at a new women owned collective (women owned is something SPENT actively supports) OTHERWILD .  SPENT TV met Rachel, one of the proprieters and was inspired by not only the quality and array of the products inside but also of Rachel's community outreach. EP definitely needs to support this place (not vandalize it) and learn from the women who operate it. Mothers day, Grads and Fathers are coming up and soon, yes, those other wonderful holidays, so pull out you pants or your purse and go BUY from these chicks.

Check out the start of the mural Rachel and her partner commissioned to be done by a local artist. The shot below is of some of the wonderful goodies inside.

CONTESTS CONTESTS CONTESTS - 

RIP OFFS OR WRITE ON?

This is the time of year that writers everywhere, and I do mean everywher (sic prison) polish up the perfect draft and submit to the most prestigious screenwriting competitions. May is Page, Nicholl and Sundance deadline due month for features. June is the Disney, ABC, NBC deadline time for TV writing programs. So suffice it to say, keyboards are clicking at an insane pace in thousands of coffeeshops and homes ( although when I was still drinking I used to write in "longhand" at a bar).

And every season, discussions abound as to the value of the contests. Do they help? Do they hinder? Are they a waste of the sometimes expensive fees they charge to enter? 

Well is a true sense, the TV writing programs, and Nicholl are "worth" it becuase you win jobs so to speak. In the case of the Nicholl, it's a 35,000 stipend to focus on wrting a script for a year; Page offers the possibility of a $25,000 dollar prize. The TV writing programs are paid jobs for a year.  Thousands of people enter - dozens win. 

I know contest quarterfinalists and have made it past the first round myself more than once. For me, it opened no doors - networking and good writing did that (and my "persistent" personality). I have a good friend that placed thrid in a prestigious contest and his phone rang off the hook - but he isn't a screenwriter anymore. His winning script - a great one by the way - never got made.

I guess like anything else in the creative world, if it works for you, if it gets something for you, then of course it's worth it. Just like the screenwriting classes, the mixers, the panels, the conferences, the consultations, the pitch fest, the stuff that supports a kazillion dollar ancilary screenwriters market.

For me,  if I can come up with the $200 bucks to enter two scripts in two contests, then I'll do it. I mean wouldn't you rather enter a contest with he hopes of winning something than pay the gas bill? Or eat?

JOE FILIPONE - FROM ALMOST NAKED MAN TO WRITER/ DIRECTOR

After some persuasive hits of the best pot a medical marijuana card can buy (jk),  the talented JOE FILIPPONE agreed to join the SPENT TV collaborative as a writer/director. He will continue in his role of  ROCK in our new series ADULT ANNIE, but you'll hear from him next as he writer/director on the next installment of LLA, shooting in May.

(P.S. He's the guy with his arms crossed. See? Acting like a director already).

WHERE THE HELL IS THE NEW SPENT TV SITE??

We are stil updating the webnet. Yeah, I now you heard ghat before, but be patient. It will be worth it. Quit complaining and juts rewatch some of our cool stuff at www.spentv.com or on youtube http://www.youtube.com/SPENTTV

DONATIONS!

Yeah, we love them. Click the link here or in the upper right hand corner of the blog and front us some bucks. Every lil  bit helps!

ADULT ANNIE - THE CAST IS COMING TOGETHER!

We are jolly excited about our new thang, ADULT ANNIE. The rewrite is finished, the casting is coming together, Including the addition of the talented, warm and so damn funny actor DAVID BURR.

David joins the cast as STAN SKINNER, a likable conservative Republican who loves his country and believes in life, limited liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - translation, the right-wing way.

David's audition was a standout, someone who brings it the first time and goes with the flow. WE are delighted to have him join us.

Here's a little snippet of STAN and daughter Annie:

STAN 

You sure you really gotta go? 

ANNIE 

I wish I didn't have to Daddy, but 

I'm on deadline for a project. 

STAN 

I remember. That chicken ranch 

fiasco in Nevada you were telling 

me about. I don't know why you 

can't fix it up from here. 

ANNIE 

I need to be home, Daddy. 

Everything I need is there. My 

computer - 

STAN 

You brought your laptop. 

ANNIE 

My files - 

STAN 

Isn't that what that cloud thing 

you have is for? 

ANNIE 

You know I would if I could. 

STAN 

So do. Just through the weekend. 

AND IT'S A NO

Yep - the ATX TV festival pitch contest opted to not advance our pitch EAST OF THE 405 to the final round. We were devastated? No. Disappointed? No. Are we pumped up? YES!!!
The great thing about our project, is we love it. We loved pitching it, loved the concept and can't wait to finish the pilot!

So stay tuned for the results! We're hoping to have the first draft done this month (along with a million other things)

AND IN TRIBUTE TO THE OSCARS...

THE best Oscar moment ever, with some commentary. And I'm old enough (Cary isn't) to have watched it on TV as it happened,

WSSW - WRITE/SHOOT, SUBMIT, WAIT -  THE CONTEST COMPETITION GAME

Last year, Cary and I were fortunate enough to be able to pitch our web projects to Yahoo Digital. It was a great experience, made better when they actually were interested in some of our work, interested enough to ask us for the pilot episode of our yet un-shot series. So in less than 24 hours we put together an 10 page pilot pitch. They ultimately passed but said the door was always open for other projects.

For some, the rejection is a pick-up-your-toys and go home moment, but for Cary and I the resilient thing was we both felt we had a solid project even though they had passed. So we moved forward with the concept and ended up shooting a ninety-second pitch piece (see in previous blog) that we submitted into a TV pitch competition early in January. The early part of next week is when we find out if we've moved on to the next round. Or knot -

No that wasn't a typo. It is "or knot," cause knots are always what you get in your stomach, in your heart and your head while you wait for the word, the letter, and nowadays the email, where in a single missive you get the news that all the work you've done is either worthless or "worthy" enough to move on to the next round of judging.

I was lucky back when I began my writing career. The very first script I wrote placed third in the American Screenwriters International Screenwriting Competition in 2001. The luck was that my first foray was a "hey, you CAN write" endorsement of sorts. Of course, all the other nothing that happened as a result of it was also an endorsement - of my naiveté. But jumping in and having a validation of my writing so quickly was fortunate. Because the waiting and the knots, and the almost made its and the "I didn't connect with it at all" comments of my scripts that came later, would have had an even more devastating effect on my tender little ego if I hadn't begun my journey with a third place win.

So here we are again, waiting to hear if the person or persons deciding on our TV pilot project's fate connected enough with it to ask us back for a second round of judging.  We will keep you posted either way, although if a "death to all contest judges' post appears on this page, I guess you'll probably know how it went.

MORE ERIN HOLT

Actor ERIN HOLT, a SPENT TV fan favorite will be performing at SERIAL KILLERS tomorrow night here in Los Angeles. A mastress of improv and comedy, it's certain to be a great night of subversive and sinful fun. Check it out! Only $7! Show starts at 11pm.

http://www.sacredfools.org/misc/serialkillers/

LOOKING FOR A LOCATION!

We are looking for a basement or garage that can sub for a basement for one of our upcoming shoots. Call us at 310-535-7985 if you know of a place we can use!

WRITING TRADER JOES

The most wonderful thing for a writer is when someone reads your words on a page or a screen and relates to them. When they enter the verbal world you've created and jump on the story ride. Of course once they've read your story and they tell you they love it, or that they couldn't put it down, or that it is unique and brilliant, that totally rocks. It's the ultimate connection. But what it doesn't do, is pay the bills. You may have written a great film, or a great play, even a box office gem or an award winner. But all the compliments, all the pats on the back, don't appease your landlord, the gas company, or Trader Joe's.

I tried it. I had a basket full of goodies at the Trader Joe's in Silverlake. When it came time to pay, I said, I'm a brilliant writer - thank you, and picked up my bags. When I turned to leave the pseudo-shocked cashier reminded me of the balance. I reiterated my brilliance. She reiterated my $27.72 grocery total. The others waiting in line enjoyed the humor. Maybe even concurred that I was brilliant.

But I still had to pay.

The most difficult part of being creative, of living a creatively centered life, is still having to pay the bills and rarely being paid for your 'brilliance."

WATCH OUR TV PILOT PITCH - EAST OF THE 405!

Speaking of brilliance, brilliant writer/director CARY TUSAN and brilliant writer/director me, LAURA BUTLER, are working on our new TV project EAST OF THE 405. We shot the pilot pitch, helped by a generous group of actors - JOSHUA EVANS, CHYNA CHUU, JOSH HELLER, CORY GLUCK, and ERIN HOLT. GIVE IT A WATCH!

THE MOMS AND POPS JOURNEY: SUNDANCE

Some go to Sundance for the movies, others for the parties ( I'm talking about you James "Come-out-of-the-closet" Franco), and others like me, for the creative submersion that the Sundance experience is. The parties this year were ones where the people sitting next to you actually made films, shot films, and directed films. Cards were exchanged, lunches have already taken place back in LA, and the possibility of getting MOMS AND POPS made seems more real and brighter than ever. And for me, that's why it is worth the ten-plus hour car drive and the minus-eight degree temperature. It's the hope. The hope and the movies. And the thermal shirt and flannel pajama bottom swag I got too.

Cary likes the good food, or in some cases, not so good food, the movies, and the cute girls, as well he should (he's single and a wonderful man, so listen up ladies). He is so connected even Harvey Weinstein asks him who people are when they are at the same party. People love Cary, so it's so much fun to go to events with him and see how others connect with him and respect him the way I do. But he's been in the industry longer than me, seen so much,  sometimes when I get pumped up and full of that YES WE CAN fervor upon our return,  he's like yeah, uhum. We'll see.

And I'm sure that comes from his years as a writer and former development executive and going through the "please read our script thing." That's where we are at now, the read it and will you please give us money thing.  The read it thing always, always, always, comes with notes. For me the writer, that means it's rewrite time - try this, punch up that, are you sure about that ending? Just when you think you're going to get to the next step, you have to cement your butt to an uncomfortable chair again and ---gulp--REWRITE.

My goal now is to "tighten it up a bit" (translation - loose ten pages to get it under 100), make it grittier, and a bit less commercial. Now personally, I am happy with these current set of notes, the ones that came with a comment that it has the potential to be a great film. The funny part is and always, always is, is that these newest set of notes are 360 degrees different than the first set of notes we got, in other words, it was grittier, it was a bit less commercial, it was under a hundred pages, lolo,  a few drafts back.

And that is what writing and getting a feature made is - it is the luck of landing at that exact moment, with that exact reader, with that exact draft, and getting that exactly perfect answer, that - YES. Let's go with this. Until that day, a writer's work is never, never, ne-verrrrr, done. Period.