GREAT dream PRODUCTIONS 2010 Oscar Picks

Favorites:
Meryl Streep
Inglorious Basterds
The Hurt Locker
UP

Will wins:
Best Picture & Animated Feature: Avatar & UP
Best Actors Leading/Supporting: Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges, Mo'Nique, Christoph Waltz
Best Director, Editing, & Screenplay: The Hurt Locker

Page Turner: 2010 San Francisco Writer's Conference

This weekend marks my first experience at the San Francisco Writer's Conference on the quest to official publication. Agents, authors, and editors gather at the Mark Hopkins Hotel to host invaluable sessions on topics from pitchcraft to twitterpower. Keynoters feature Steve Berry, Jacquelyn Mitchard, and Dan Poynter. Presenters include the Bay Area's own Adair Lara, Mary Mackey, Cara Black and others.

On Julia Child After Julie & Julia

Meryl Streep whipping up the essence of Julia Child in Julie & Julia proves to be Nora Ephron's best ingredient. Who else but Streep could paint the portrait of Julia Child we hold in our hearts and minds? Only Streep could capture Julia's zest for life with the same fervor she displays Julia's utter sadness at her inability to have children, the most poignant and private moment of the entire film.

I had dinner with Julia Child early one Sunday evening at a restaurant in Marin (a stretch but I count it since a friend of mine and I were having dinner when Julia and friends came in; it may have been on our way back from Copia and Julia's Kitchen).

Not being an avid cook, let alone French cooking, I wondered why Julia was stopping at this restaurant. While local restaurant critics gave it a decent rating, it was not exceptional or even mildly wonderous so it ended up on my "overrated" list. I'd probably have a heart seizure (sans excessive butter usage) if Julia Child had ever entered a restaurant that I owned.

Barking Up The Right Tree

Sally Dyal's first book debuted in December, her adoring friends and family were thrilled to receive a copy.

Diablo Cody in "The First Church Of Harpo"

I was reading through the latest script written by one of my clients in early January, and kept thinking about Diablo Cody's script for "Juno"---figuring that Cody would definitely end up with noms throughout the awards season.

Cody previously blogged on "blogger" and has now moved over to My Space. She's been appearing all over network shows from Letterman to Oprah. Cody shares that appearing in "the First Church of Harpo" was "peyote-weird"--since I have a day job, I missed Cody's "O-gasm" experience with Juno cast members. But the fact remains, appearing with "O" sells movie tickets, books, and presidential candidates.

And when I did return my client's script, I also sent a copy of "Juno"---I figure that it helps to read screenplays that work and get a feel for why they do---character, language, storytelling.

Are The Times Really Changing?

The Times They Are A-Changin'
by Bob Dylan, Great Dreamer



Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Lessing Honored With Nobel In Literature

I was introduced to Doris Lessing's work well into my 40's when I returned to graduate school. One of my professor's was, and is, a Lessing scholar. My favorite Lessing novel remains "The Grass Is Singing," her first and rather slim novel published in 1950. It's a little daunting to write a final essay for an English Lit professor who's a well-known published scholar on Lessing--- and Woolf, for that matter.

So, when I approached writing an essay on Lessing's most widely read novel,"The Golden Notebook," I did so with a fair amount of trepidation. What could I say that had not been said before? Fortunately, my bookshelf held a fairly recent book "The Six Thinking Hats" by renowned psychologist and physiologist Dr. Edward DeBono. He associated thinking and decision making to emotion, creativity, intuition, or negativity and represented each by color. It struck me when reading "The Golden Notebook" that Lessing's protagonist Anna very much associated color with thinking--I took off on this notion with my essay. And was excited to learn that this approach really was a fresh one in studying Lessing's work!

A few years later, I read where Lessing was coming to San Francisco and had hoped to attend, I think it was to be at the Herbst Theatre. Lessing was not able to come after all due to health problems---she was well into her 80's. What a nice honor today to receive a Nobel for her prolific and audacious body of work.

Independence Day . . . Born On 4th Of July

A few quotable quotes by notable Americans Born on July 4th:

“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
--Nathaniel Hawthorne, Author

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not, nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not, unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not, the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
--Calvin Coolidge, 30th American President
“If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders.”

“Kissing power is stronger than will power: Girls need to "prove their love" like a moose needs a hat rack."

“A church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.”

--Abigail Van Buren, AKA Dear Abby, American Advice Columnist

“One out of four people in this country is mentally unbalanced. Think of your three closest friends; if they seem OK, then you're the one.”

“You need that guy like a giraffe needs strep throat.”

"Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead, that is where your future lies.”

“What the vast majority of American children needs is to stop being pampered, stop being indulged, stop being chauffeured, stop being catered to. In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.”

“Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.”

“Asking a writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamp post how it feels about dogs.”

--Ann Landers, American Advice Columnist

Will Best Selling Novel Find Film Audience?

“I’ve learned it’s very difficult to articulate a lot of things about experience. It’s probably why I became a writer.” __ Susan Minot

Will the film version of Minot's best selling novel Evening translate to screen as beautifully as The Hours? While Minot originally attempted to adapt Evening for screen, the task eventually went to Michael Cunningham (The Hours). Expect changes between Minot's novel and the film version.

Perhaps more importantly, will Evening find an audience today as films like say Steel Magnolias or Terms of Endearment did in the 1980's? Evening opens in theatres this week with a stellar cast.

Brenda Leigh Johnson Down To Her Bones

Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson returns for a third summer season in The Closer on Monday night and I'm happy.

If Jane Tennison returned in another episode of Prime Suspect one day, I'd be thrilled.

Juicy screen roles for women with a little seasoning under their hats seem few and far between. The lead in The Closer was originally written for a male. It looks like there's a trend brewing as more talented actresses play lead and ensemble roles in cable and network television series.

Anytime we see exceptional writing for exceptional talent, we breathe a sigh of relief and relish the storytelling. While the writer brings a character to life on the page, both Kyra Sedgwick and Helen Mirren help us discover Brenda and Jane down to their bones.

Brenda and Jane could be us. We connect. We understand them. We feel their disappointment and glow with pride in their triumphs. We've been there. We enjoy watching them reveal who they are in ways which surprise us---and them.

The two remain different in personality, if not in their approach to life and career.

Take a look:

Addictions: Brenda is addicted to sweets, Jane to alcohol.

Sex & Relationships: Brenda satisfies her sexual libido with a guy from the office. Ditto for Jane. Their relationships develop into more than one-night stands.

Saying What They Mean: Brenda uses a true Southerner's affinity for meaningful metaphor when describing a situation. Jane uses the English language. Brenda and Jane never mince words.

Fashion Sense: Brenda's wears off-the-rack ensembles, perhaps Target-like vintage. Sometimes they're flowery and quirky with a classic jacket over a short dress or skirt. Jane often prefers white blouses, classic skirts and jackets, and sensible heels. She begins wearing colored blouses, a single strand of pearls and nice scarves. Fashion remains a necessary afterthought at first as both evolve their own sense of style.

Heart: Brenda often hides her heart. Jane hides hers. Both are softies who wear a suit of armor and tough-as-nails attitude. A natural survival instinct, look at their line of work.

Humor: Brenda comes with a sense of humor. Jane either lost it along the way or never had one.

Love & Family: Brenda grapples with insecurity, commitment, parental approval, and a ticking biological clock. Jane struggles with most of these same issues. And don't forget about Jane's abortion decision as her own biological clock ticked down.

Professional Reputation: Brenda's competency and skill drives her boss and the other guys a little nuts. As rivalry among department peers and her own staff develop, she deftly works around and through it. Ditto for Jane. Both face sabotage and work to restore their professional reputation.

As Helen Mirren discovered Jane Tennison, we grew to love and accept Jane along with her often self-destructive behaviors and misguided relationships between home and office. We rallied around Jane when plum assignments and promotions passed her by. We worried about Jane when she drove herself to right criminal wrong doing---she was losing herself in the process. And there were times when we didn't know if Jane would see the light of tomorrow.


During interviews promoting last year's final episode, Mirren remarked how easy it was for her to play Jane Tennison even after being away from the role several years. She said that it was as if she were meeting 'an old friend.' Mirren wore Jane well.

Kyra Sedgwick admits that after first turning down the role of Brenda Leigh Johnson, she kept hearing a voice in her head say Prime Suspect. We're happy she listened. Like Mirren wears Jane, Sedgwick wears Brenda well. Both actresses know who these characters are right down to their bones.

Photo Credits: The Closer, TNT and Prime Suspect, Granada Television

On Oscar Night - 79th Academy Awards

What a night for great dreams! And what a pleasure to see several amazing stories brought to our attention this year! A few favorites include Little Miss Sunshine, a small independent film with a large heart, fabulous cast, and a refreshing look at dysfunction. Several favorite films weave a common thread through them about what it means to stay together as a family today.

Babel left the theatre with me, four stories across four continents in 24 hours, snapshots of people trying to live their lives in a complex world. Screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga said that he'd "been obsessed through all my life with what is the particular day, the special day that makes you different, (so) that you will never be the same from that point." Babel captures "the last day of innocence," "the last day of a sense of loss," "the last day of substitution," and "the last day of resentment." Babel manages to bring our microcosms together, at the end of the day, each story reveals it's about communication.

I reviewed The Queen months ago, mostly about Helen Mirren's performance. Peter Morgan should win for his exceptional original The Queen screenplay. Forest Whitaker has had my attention for years. Best supporting actor category proves a bit tougher, it could go to Wahlberg or Murphy. I'll pick one and be happy with either. Best supporting actress nominees share really good performances though Jennifer Hudson deserves this year's statue.

Here's my Oscar picks in a few categories:

Best Picture:

Best Actor:




Best Supporting Actor:
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls (I'd be happy with Mark Wahlberg)

Best Director:
Alejandro González Iñárritu - Babel

Best Original Screenplay:
Peter Morgan - The Queen

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Best Animated Feature:
Happy Feet (It will probably go to Cars)

Best Foreign Film:
The Lives of Others

Best Documentary:
An Inconvenient Truth (will win whether it should or not)

On Molly Ivins - Part 2

A look at two feisty Americans who enjoyed Texas and loved this country. The late great Ann Richards speaking about her pal Molly Ivins and a Democracy Now interview clip with Molly from July 2004:





Molly Ivins on U. S. Citizens:

On Molly Ivins

Whew, will we miss reading Molly. She loved this country and always urged us to take responsibility for its preservation. Here's a few of Molly's quotable quotes:

"I've always found it easier to be funny than to be serious."

"Real Texans do not use the word 'summer' as a verb."

"I dearly love the state of Texas, but I consider that a harmless perversion on my part, and discuss it only with consenting adults."

"The first rule of holes: when you're in one, stop digging."

"It's hard to argue against cynics--they always sound smarter than optimists because they have so much evidence on their side.”

"What you need is sustained outrage...there's far too much unthinking respect given to authority."

"Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous."

"The thing about democracy, beloveds, is that it is not neat, orderly, or quiet. It requires a certain relish for confusion."

"Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful."

"I believe that ignorance is the root of all evil. And that no one knows the truth."

"You can't ignore politics, no matter how much you'd like to."

"Next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be president of the United States, please pay attention."

"I know vegetarians don't like to hear this, but God made an awful lot of land that's good for nothing but grazing."

"It is possible to read the history of this country as one long struggle to extend the liberties established in our Constitution to everyone in America."

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Fort Worth Star-Telegram

On Village Voice Film Guide

Happy to note that I received a Christmas gift copy of the recently published The Village Voice Film Guide: 50 Years Of Movies From Classics To Cult Hits edited by Dennis Lim. A must-have guide for any cinemaphile, readers will devour 150 reviews of classic films by renown contributors Jay Hoberman, Michael Atkinson, Jonas Mekas, Georgia Brown, Andrew Sarris, Amy Taubman, and several by Dennis Lim.

The Village Voice remains the foremost alternative newspaper in the country. Upon reading this collection, you'll find a distinct difference in approach and opinion rendered by Voice contributors than say by contributors to the SF Chronicle or other mainstream media. Then again, the Voice pioneered alternative newspaper publishing from its inception in 1955---their film reviews take an entirely different intellectual spin.

You'll discover a notable review and letter exchange between critic Jonas Mekas and the late great dreamer, John Cassavettes about SHADOWS. Mekas championed Cassavettes original version of SHADOWS screened in 1958 and basically panned a reshot/recut version completed in 1959. Jay Hoberman contributes a review in June 2003 due to a restored version of SHADOWS which was premiering at Anthology's Jonas Mekas Theater. The next update from Hoberman comes in 2004 with the rediscovery of the original 1958 film he refers to as "ur-Shadows." Interestingly, this original "ur-Shadows" film was "turned down by Sundance" and premiered at Rotterdam Film Festival. Hoberman says that the 1959 film "is not a virtual remake" as Mekas suggested when he disowned the film. These pages leave you wanting more about the story-behind-the-story of this "lost"version of SHADOWS---and its ur-Sudden reappearance.

Book cover photo credit: Still from John Cassavetes's SHADOWS/Photofest,Inc.

On Tillie Olsen

Long time Bay Area resident, writer, and social activist Tillie Olsen passed away on January 1 at the age of 94. Olsen published her first short story, I Stand Here Ironing in 1955. Her published works include Tell Me A Riddle, Yonnondio, and Silences.

Do wish I'd met her or had a chance to sit in on a local reading or interview.

I like this quote attributed to Tillie Olsen:

"Time granted does not necessarily coincide with time that can be most fully used."

On Harry Potter - Gabcast

Here's instructions on how-to discover the name of the final Harry Potter book once you log into jkrowling.com:



I just scanned news headlines and see that JK Rowling recently led fans to her web site for a game of hang man, the solution reveals the name of her seventh and final Harry Potter book. I won't reveal the name here.

If you have too much time on your hands, go to www.jkrowling.com and figure out where to look for the puzzle. It's one of the busiest though creative web sites I've seen. I'm sure every Harry Potter fan in the universe has it bookmarked.

For those of you who would like instructions just to find the puzzle, here they are:

1)Enter www.jkrowling.com
2)Click on the pink eraser on the Home Page
3)In the mirror reflection, click on image of the far door to reveal a Christmas tree
4)Click on the items below in the following order:
* Center of main door, to reveal wreath
* Top of mirror, reveals garland
* Cobweb, which disappears
* Second chime to the right in the windchimes, which turns into a key
5)Drag the key to the main door's lock
6)When the door opens, open the gift you find there, play hangman until the title of Rowling's final Harry Potter book is revealed!

On 12 Dogs of Christmas

One seven year-old girl loved dogs and wrote a story on the back of a paper placemat, her book became a best seller---now, you can watch the movie on DVD.

On Writers Writing - #1

"It seems important to me that beginning writers ponder this--that since 1964, I have never had a book, story or poem rejected that was not later published. If you know what you are doing, eventually you will run into an editor who knows what he/she is doing. It may take years, but never give up.

Writing is a lonely business not just because you have to sit alone in a room with your machinery for hours and hours every day, month after month, year after year, but because after all the blood, sweat, toil, and tears you still have to find somebody who respects what you have written enough to leave it alone and print it. And, believe me, this remains true, whether the book is your first novel or your thirty-first."

__Joseph Hansen, memo from Rotten Reviews, 1986 and excerpted from The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman

On the Booker Prize - Gabcast

Congrats to Kiran Desai winner of this year's Man Booker Prize for her second novel The Inheritance of Loss. Desai becomes the youngest woman to win the award since The Booker Prize was founded in 1968. The prize is open to writers of Britain, Ireland, and Commonwealth of the former British Colonies. Desai credits her mother, writer Anita Desai: "the debt I owe to my mother is so profound that I feel the book is hers as much as mine. It was written in her company and in her wisdom and kindness."

Photo Credit: Sara Lee, The Guardian

On Gone With The Wind

Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind was published by MacMillan 70 years ago today. A year later in 1937, Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize. Note: The title is taken from the 1st line, 3rd stanza of an Ernest Dowson poem."Nom sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynare": "I have forgot much Cynara! gone with the wind." I remember staying up all night reading GWTW as a kid and never wanting the story to end. Later, I attended the same college not far from Atlanta as Aunt Pitypat had---in her day, it was called LaGrange Female Academy."Mitchell sold the film rights to David O. Selznick for a reported $50,000 and later received another $50,000. Gone With The Wind premiered on December 15, 1939 in Atlanta, Mitchell attended the opening. The film won 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture. I think it was around 1998 or 99 when the film was re-released on the big screen, it is the only way to watch this epic version of an even more wonderful epic novel. In 1947, Margaret Mitchell was crossing Atlanta's Peachtree Street and fatally hit by a car. I always think of her when travelling along Peachtree Street.