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.