Your Favorite Movie Is Safe: Why There’s No Need To Fear Any Remake

OK, so this is a good news/bad news post.

GOOD NEWS! The Princess Bride is not going to be remade. (Not yet.)

BAD NEWS! Your favorite movie is going to be remade. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but soon…and for the rest of your life, there will be a remake of your favorite film, if there isn’t one already (there likely is.)

BEST NEWS! Your favorite movie will be fine even if it is remade.

I know some of you are already mad reading that. However, if you are in a place of listening, I invite you on a quick read which I hope will help you stop worrying and at least accept the remake because they are not ever going away.

Before we had Trump shutting down society at large to make us angry, the topic of a movie being remade was an easy to get internet mob mentality out in force. The fact of the matter is remakes are neither a new phenomenon or anything other than business as usual. And quite frankly, the sheer volume of anger said remakes has received cannot always be described as rational.

Movie remakes can be traced back to the late 1800s in French cinema and early 1900s in Hollywood: https://filmschoolrejects.com/hollywood-remake-history/

Why does Hollywood insist on a constant stream of remakes? For the same reason Hollywood does anything – because they make money. And before one writes that off as simple studio greed, that money being is coming from an audience who says “yes, I will spend my disposable income on a remake.”

Audiences don’t hate remakes. Audiences LOVE LOVE LOVE remakes. Audiences flock to remakes creating hugely profitable properties and have done for decades.

And they’re going to for decades more.

You don’t have to take my word for it:

*Love Pacino in Scarface? A remake.

*Netflix’s content creation empire was launched by House Of Cards – a remake.

*Which version of A Christmas Carol is your favorite?

*A Star Is Born – again – remade and not only ate up box office but brought tears to a live audience who forgot those are actors.

*We now have three different versions of Mr Spock – all supported by a robust audience, except actually for Leonard Nimoy’s at first. That was the one that got cancelled.

*”Wait – there were other Doctors BEFORE Christopher Eccleston???”

*Ocean’s 11, The Lion King, every other horror movie. Hell, I just found out doing research for this that Scent Of A Woman (which Pacino had to clear some shelf-space for) is a remake. Late last year, someone I know posted “Oh God! I can’t believe they’re making Little Shop Of Horrors!!” I asked which version was being remade.

*Also, West Side Story will have to thrown out with the bathwater as well. That’s all kinds of remake.

Here’s my favorite example to cite:

Clash Of The Titans in 1981 worldwide gross about $115,000,000 in today’s money (pretty good)

Clash Of The Titans in 2010 worldwide gross – $500,000,000 (spawned a sequel the sequel)

That is a gross increase of 400 million dollars. 400 million. 400,000,000 increase in business.

If Hollywood were to stop doing remakes, it would not just be a poor business decision. It would be malpractice.

But still, whenever a remake is announced, one can find a very angry corner of the internet – usually of a particular age group – expressing a near existential rage at the very IDEA that such a thing could occur. And often, the sourcing of that anger is well, I don’t want to say invalid or misguided but it can be driven from a false premise. Let’s take a look at some of those.

Looking at the Princess Bride for example. “But it’s perfect!!” many said to me about Princess Bride.

Hey look, I LOVE The Princess Bride. Tremendous storytelling from a master Director and the guy who literally wrote the books on modern screenwriting. Action! Adventure! Comedy!! And as if that’s not enough – ANDRE THE GIANT!!! Even though he was playing a bad guy in the WWE when it came out, this movie helped immortalized Andre as wrestling’s gentle giant good guy beloved by the public.

The Princess Bride is just WONDERFUL viewing great for any family!

Quick question about The Princess Bride – where’s the Black person?

Another question about The Princess Bride – how come the Spaniard is being played by a Jewish actor from New York?

The answer is there are no people of color in the Princess Bride. If I’m wrong about that, please correct me. There are two gay characters – and they’re the villains.

And back in 1986, casting actors out of their ethnicity was perfectly acceptable. It’s not so much these days. Mandy Patinkin is an AMAZING actor & seems like a very nice man. But in 2020, his being cast as a Spaniard out for revenge would create as much outrage as the remake has received and he would be out of the role by the end of the day it was announced.

So when news of the Princess Bride remake hit, I took to the facebook (something that actually ages me even now) and I said “Not only would I remake it, I would diversity the shit out of it!” Here’s my cast list for a 2020 Princess Bride:

Michael B Jordan – Wesley

Rihanna – Buttercup

Benicio Del Toro – Indigo Montoya*

James Franco – Humperdink

Randall Park – Count Grugen

Uzo Aduba – Vezzini (oh real damn conceivable)

Big Show – Fezzik

Jordan Peele – Miracle Max

Chelsea Peretti – Mrs Miracle Max

Laurence Fishburne – The Grandfather

Miles Brown – the kid

(Mr Del Toro is Puerto Rican but I’ve seen reports that he is of Spanish descent and was granted Spain citizenship in 2011)

You would have thought I posted pictures of murdered animals. This list and this very idea of remaking The Princess Bride was considered blasphemy. I should point out no one of color objected to this list. Just the opposite. All of the objections came from Left-leaning White people. In other conversations I had about this – the world seemed obsessed with this for two weeks – “Why does it have to be remade?” I was asked by some. “Why can’t today’s Black or Latino kids have their version?” was my response. Because the old one is notably absent of people who like them. Many cries of “why do they have to have one?” sounded quite a bit like the “why do Gays have to be married? Why isn’t a civil union enough?”

Because it’s not enough.

And look, part of me gets it. Part of me really really gets it.

Movies are not just movies. TV shows are more than that. They’re EXPERIENCES. That becomes all the more clear when you become a creator of these things. “What experience am I giving the viewer?” Thanks to the irresistible pull of nostalgia which only grows more powerful with each passing year makes those experiences something sacred, something precious that much never be touched or encroached upon.

While I see how a remake might feel it’s doing that, a remake is not doing that. Your most precious memories have nothing to fear from a remake. I’m not being glib. I’m being sincere. There is nothing to fear from the remake. So please allow me to assure you –

Your favorite movie is safe.

Nothing and no one anywhere can take away your experiences with your favorite movie. My two favorites are Jaws and Casablanca. Both have not technically been remade. Both have been remade thousands of times. Nothing and no one anywhere can take away those movies and my memories or experiences watching them. And as a working screenwriter, I would take the gig to rewrite either one of them tomorrow. (Oh, you want the shark to be the hero this time? No problem)

A remake is not a special edition recut of your favorite film. No one is going to come into your home, remove any DVD or Blu-Ray copies of that film. No one is going to delete any digital copies. Whatever your favorite movie is, you can watch it once every single day or however much you want until the day you die.

And a remake of Jaws is not going to magically erase the 45 years people have spent watching the original. (Sorry Mandela Effect)

I own the entire original Transformers cartoon series on DVD. It was my favorite as a kid and I’m glad to have it those pulls of nostalgia. I saw Michael Bay’s first Transformers movie. I liked it fine. I found it fun. I saw Michael Bay’s second Transformers movie and there my journey with Michael Bay’s Transformers came to an end. The box office receipts for that franchise assures Mr Bay and his crew that my absence from the theatres was not debilitating to their success. And Bay knew the moment he took the gig “not everyone who grew up on this will love this” because it wasn’t made for me or the generation who grew up on that cartoon. If we like it, great! But we’re gravy. The kids & teenagers at the time were Bay’s target demo. As they long as they enjoyed it and kept coming back for the sequels – mission accomplished as more perils for Earth and Cyberton were dreamt up. And I had my originals. Safe and sound on my shelf. Literally – everyone wins.

(There is one notable exception to this rule but we’ll get there)

“But the original is PERFECT!!”

No movie is perfect. Casablanca? Goddammit, why does Ilsa say “boy.” Jaws? Peter Benchley, the author of the book, has spent the rest of his life trying to undo the misinformation about sharks the story spread.

No movie is perfect. The memories of certain movies are perfect. The experiences and feelings that movie give you are perfect. And again – those are untouchable. Even as the world races into the future around us which is always a scary prospect as we grow older. The blue skies and golden sunsets that you felt/feel with your favorite movie are eternal.

There’s a reason the dying Tycoon was thinking of his childhood sled in his final moments. It was the one thing the world who hated him could not take away.

“The original should be good enough!”

OK, when you were a kid were you watching the newest, hippest cartoons everyone was talking about? Were you begging your parents to take you to that new movie opening because “Mom! Dad! EVERYONE is seeing it and I’m missing ooouuuuttt!!”? Did you race to get all the latest toys tied in with the biggest blockbusters of the summer? Was your wallpaper covered with Gremlins, Goonies and Marty McFly?

Of course it was!

Or were you watching the Marx Brothers every night? Were you looking up old episodes of the Milton Berle show used to fill up late-night weekend slots? Did you beg your parents to put in the VHS of Gunga Din just once more, pretty please?

Of course not.

Sure, you caught old stuff like the Three Stooges or Andy Griffith et al. But the children of the 1980s were not molded by the content of the 1950s. The children of the 2000s are not going to be molded by the content of the 1980s.

And there’s nothing anyone can do about that. It’s practically a kid’s job to hate the stuff their parents like. Before you argue that, remember your reaction to when your parents showed you their favorite movie. You don’t have to answer that out loud.

“But the original does not need to be improved upon!!”

This one always baffles me. Maybe there’s a remake out there that was trying to improve upon the original. Dear reader, if you know of one, let me know. I can’t think of a single remake that tries to do that. That’s just not how it’s done.

Let’s go back to the Princess Bride. Yes, I would diversity the shit out of it. No, I don’t think that’s necessarily an improvement. It’s updating, sure but that’s just making it more accessible to modern audiences and diverse audiences. Are filmmakers putting their spin on it? Sure. But that’s not unique to remakes. (The Temple Of Doom is one giant love letter to the Morlocks’ underground world in George Pal’s Time Machine)

If Hollywood was trying to improve a movie, then you’d be seeing remakes of long-accepted crap but fire up your favorite streaming service and you are not bombarded by remakes of Ishtar, Howard The Duck and Leonard Part 6.

Yes, Hollywood is trying to cash in with remakes of popular, established properties. But those are not efforts to improve. If you watch the original The Thing From Another World and then John Carpenter’s The Thing, you will see two totally different interpretations of the same story, both of their time, both trying to scare audiences, both in two totally different ways. Which one is better? In addition to the answer being totally subjective, both movies while similar are so different it’s like asking “what do you like better? Lamb chop or apple sauce?”

Time is a funny thing. You graduated high school yesterday but really it was over 20 years ago, if you see what I mean. It’s easy to not see how much changes when we’re in the middle of the times we live in. The internet recently erupted when a bunch of people learned that Robert Downey Jr played a comedy lead – IN BLACKFACE!!! Tropic Thunder isn’t ancient history, it happened 12 years ago as of this writing. Your favorite movie is likely very outdated, dull and boring for today’s audiences. And it doesn’t matter what year “today” is in.

And as even that example shows, yes, Tropic Thunder does not fit 2020 sensibilities. Neither does The Princess Bride. So a fresh coat of paint for today’s audiences brings the story up to speed. No improvements made. Just sensibilities being recognized.

“I just wish Hollywood made more originals!!”

Fortunately, Hollywood makes a ton of original material but the success for those is mostly found in the world of TV where the profit margin is safer for original material and where an audience is more likely go “ooo, what’s this?”

But at the movies? Originals for many decades have long had an uphill battle. There are several production companies who have committed themselves to producing original, unique films that are different from everything else in the market. Sadly, they teeter on the brink of bankruptcy.

No one wants you watching original material more than Hollywood. Many careers have been shortened and many fortunes have been lost in trying to get eyeballs in front of original material.

Apple TV’s rollout of purely original material was seen around the business as a massive flop (immediate resignations kind of flop) and they’re hoping to rebound with Foundation – an adaptation of Issac Asimov’s legendary novels. Disney+ hung their hat on a new Star Wars property and watched subscriptions roll in by the millions – literally.

Originals are the toughest property to try and sell and market. But Hollywood keeps trying and will keep trying.

“But I just don’t like remakes”

OK, fine. Never watch another remake again as long as you live. That is your right, your prerogative as a discerning consumer. Every single day you choose not to watch a movie and you can continue to do so. Watch what you like. Ignore what you don’t.

There is no obligation anyone is putting on you to watch a remake ever again. Sure, there’s some cultural pressure if the movie is all the rage but think about how many movies or TV shows that are major conversation pieces in your circle that you’ve actually missed? I bet it’s a lot. Hell, there’s no way everyone can watch all the award-worthy TV being made nowadays. Hollywood has lots of data that sees how much you choose not to see a movie.

“I don’t want to see a remake because I just don’t like remakes” is a perfectly sound reason to skip one.

Dear reader, I’ll be honest – I don’t always love remakes. In fact, I rarely like remakes. I like being surprised which after this long in the factory is all too rare. I love new, original fresh voices. “Beasts Of No Nation” blew my mind when I saw it a few years ago. But remakes being old stories up to speed with changing times only makes those stories last longer. It shows Hollywood reflecting changing times. These are good things that any smart business should keep in mind if they want to last. Adapt and overcome. Evolve or die.

No, remakes don’t ruin the original.

No, remakes do not improve the original.

No, remakes do not replace the original – especially in this age of movie/TV libraries at our fingertips.

Screaming at remakes is like screaming at the changing seasons. It’s like getting angry at nightfall. Time is going to move in one direction and the world changes with those times. I think that’s at the heart of all this. “My experience was so perfect! There does not need to be another one! Don’t replace those experiences…don’t replace me.”

Are you over 40? You’re not the key demo movies are made for anymore. I know. I’m there with you. It sucks and it hurts. Even those R-rated horror movies are made for 18 – 20 year olds, not us cynical old people who are stuck in our ways. It was true 40 years ago. It’s going to be true 140 years from now.

No remake anywhere is ever going to make me mad. No remake anywhere is ever going to upset me because remakes can’t take anything away from me or my experiences.

But as I said, there is one notable exception.

I type and post this on May 4th, 2020. I cannot pull up the original Star Wars movie on Disney+ I cannot reach over to my shelf and pull off the original Star Wars on Blu-Ray. Oh sure, I can pull up some special editions which have been recut, reedited and reshaped by new special effects. And the original filmmaker has forbidden any commercial release of the original film. There was a low-resolution version put on a DVD a few years ago to quiet those of us who complained but it’s not the same. The resolution is such that the film is actually difficult to watch.

This day has been dubbed “May The 4th Be With You” but The Force is not with me today.

I cannot watch the movie that I grew up on, the movie that made me love movies so much I’ve dedicated my life to them. That childhood favorite film that meant so much has been taken away from me.

No remake did that.

No sequel did that.

The original filmmaker did that.

It’s worth noting that many parents have relayed tales of trying to show their kids Star Wars and even with the updated special effects, the kids cry “BORING! Put on Pixar!” I get it. Yesterday’s Star Wars isn’t for today’s kid. But this kid from yesterday sure wouldn’t mind another look at the twin sunset with Luke Skywalker.

A Guide To Working From Home

Hello there, Dear Reader. Well, since we last spoke, the complete absence of leadership at the top of the system has ground society to halt. Turns out putting clinically-ill incompetent people in charge has disastrous effects on all things financial, industrial, economical, entertainment and well, all of it. Who knew? (SPOILER ALERT: Everyone that didn’t vote Trump)

While we all hope for a vaccine to bring this Covid scare to quick end, the fact is that most medical experts believe that remains still a year away. Even some of those treatments that are garnering some headlines still need many months of trials & testing before they become widely available. So how long are we in this situation for? Trump says until the summer which means it’s likely until the winter. Even if the summer offers a reprieve and we do flatten the curve, chances are good we’ll be seeing another quarantine situation in the fall. Maybe we won’t but there’s a chance we will.

So…a lot of us are going to be working from home. Now, for a lot of writers like myself who HAVE been working from home for several of the past years, this isn’t that big a lifestyle change. But for millions more people with a happier path in life, this is a MASSIVE culture shock. I’ve already talked to a few friends who are having real trouble dealing with cabin fever, stress, anxiety, you name it.

Allow me to present some of what I hope are helpful tips for staying sane during these uncertain times. First disclosure, I am not a parent. Those of you who are dealing with the biggest challenge of this whole thing – figuring out how to work from home while making sure your kids stay educated and/or occupied. I just don’t know if anything I have to say here will be helpful to you but maybe there’s a good thought or two in here.

And again, that’s all these are – thoughts based on what helped me stay productive at home when all the temptations of goofing are all around me. Take them or leave them but they just might be worth giving a try.

SCHEDULE OUT YOUR WEEK: I love weeks. I don’t always love days. We have bad days, unproductive days but if we hit our goals for the week, we’re not off track. Sunday is a great day for reflection – what do you want to accomplish during the week? Where do you want to be or what do you have done by the next Sunday? For parents, this might be useful – what do you want your kids to have done by the next week? Making yourself a reasonable and doable to-do list one week at a time can help one maintain focus and actually give one a sense of accomplishment. And feeling we’ve accomplished something, like we’re doing something can help keep the walls from closing in.

MAINTAIN YOUR WEEK: I’m seeing jokes on the social media about every day being Saturday or Sunday. I would encourage against that. For example, I rarely write on Sundays. I like that to be a day of rest & relaxation so I’m ready for the week. This is easy during the football season but I do break this rule often. That said – even if you hate Mondays – keep a weekly schedule where there’s say a fun movie night, or some kind of date night with your spouse et al. The structure of the week is the way it is to cater to our sanity. Five nights of the week, even when we’re watching TV, we’re in a “work mode” concentrating on the task days at hand while the weekend is for fun and unwinding. Do your best to keep this structure. Doesn’t mean you can’t have a glass of wine but turning every night into Saturday just gives you seven hangovers and those get old after two.

WEEKLY CHECKLIST: Something I started years ago and it’s been a lifesaver. I have a printed out weekly checklist of MUST DO things that I use every Sunday or Monday of every single week. These include things like cleaning the bathroom, checking up on bills, backing up the computer. (Fun Fact: My computer died for real in the middle of Murder Made Easy but regular backups meant Apple was able to restore it so that none of the movie was lost.) Treating your home like a business that has operational necessities just keeps everything running smoothly.

REGIMENT YOUR DAY: Granted, many of you are still working remotely and this done for you. If you’re not & you’re laid off, getting (waiting for) assistance, etc, I highly encourage you to create a workday. It’s very easy to get lost in the shuffle of what you want to do & what you actually do. Having set times for what you do when turns into a muscle memory that keeps you productive and on track for the weekly goal set above.

This a generalization but this basically what mine looks like on my most productive days:

Wake up before 9 AM. Walk the Dog (2 miles/one hour) Do the dishes, Shower/shave, emails/social media, lunch while watching the news, writing in the afternoon/evening, dinner, movie or TV, bed. Dinner & movie usually accompanied by a scotch on the rocks with a twist of lemon. Of course, this gets disrupted that crazy little thing called life but if I try to adhere to this schedule – well, that’s how I get my stuff written AND managed to stay in touch with the real world. Still – I need to incorporate more exercise but this has worked for me.

DON’T WEAR PAJAMAS & SWEATS ALL DAY: I very much encourage you to resist this temptation. I could write every script in boxers or a furry costume. No one would know the difference. But I still put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, which is what I’ve worn at 90% of my jobs in my life. Just the simple act of dressing the same as if I were going to a show or a set helps put my mind in the mode that it’s time to work. No, you don’t need to wear business suits & put on make-up but efforts in what you wear just helps your mindset. Changing into comfies or PJs at the end of the day puts me in the mind it’s time for Scotch and the WWE Network. If you’re wearing PJs all day and wondering why you’re not getting work done, I would suggest you might be forcing your mind to swim upstream.

Yes, I know some of you have perfectly productive days in your PJs. There are exceptions to all of these things. Rock-n-roll with whatever rock-n-rolls for you.

HAVE A WORK AREA AND A HOME AREA: If this is possible, try to create workspaces for work mode and home spaces for relaxation. I created a home office on side of a bedroom once and crossing an invisible threshold literally changed my mindset each time. This is the same sentiment as the one above but with space. I can’t recommend it enough. In my current place, I have a home office which is where all the writing & serious business happens. None of that gets taken to the living room or bedroom. This way – and even though writing is like constantly on my mind – I don’t feel bombarded by business all day and night.

GOOF OFF: Children get recess and play after lunch. Big secret – adults need the same thing. My dog isn’t super crazed or hyper but taking 15 minutes to have a wrestling match with her is great for both of us. She gets to burn some energy and I get a break from the computer screen. At the end, she gets a treat and I go back to work with a fresh perspective. Play is not something to be ignored. We never stop playing and we never should. No matter how busy or how much pressure one is under, ignoring needed moments of play only make the stress & pressure WORSE. Laughter, goofing off is all a reminder of a light at the end of the tunnel and probably the best assurance that things are OK at the moment. Just a little while of play every day can go a very long way to keeping you alert, productive and sane.

And yes, you are allowed to laugh, joke, be silly and have all kinds of fun during a crisis. On social media, be mindful that not every joke will play with ALL of your facebook friends but of course people should remember to have fun. It’s a stress-reliever and there’s no point in trying to stay alive if you’re not going to be alive.

BE PRODUCTIVE BUT REALISTIC: With every passing year, time goes by quicker and quicker. Our energy gets lower and lower, even for the most active of us. There are only so many hours in the day. Our society is one of “Do More! Be Better! Never Stop! Never Quit!” when really that can just drive us into a wall. So a lot of people are taking on new hobbies, new endeavors et al with all this “free time” on their hands. Be willing to say no to certain things, really big projects or endeavors if the calendar doesn’t lend itself to those. Figure out what you can do, do that – and then do more if you found that manageable.

Here’s a quick screenwriting example – when I’m writing a script, 10 pages a day is my goal. That might take me 45 minutes, it might take me 3 hours. But if I hit my 10 pages, I’m good. Some days I can write 20. Some days, I get stuck and only write 7 (this usually includes rewrites of the previous days work.) But for the most part, there’s really no reason why I can’t write 10 pages a day. I arrived at this because 5 pages was too little. 20 pages was too much. 10 pages was the perfect balance. If I do more, great!

BUY WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO EAT: I learned this from my freelancing days. As grocery stores get more stocked up, it’s easy to be tempted into grabbing as much as you can during infrequent trips. However, making a very specific list of what you want, what you will eat and sticking to that list can not prevent wasting food but also wasteful spending. The impulse buys (and I do them too) are the enemy. Especially as in these dire times, those without a lot of means may need some of the things we’re impulse buying.

CAREFUL WITH THE WINE: I lost 15 pounds. During the holiday season. That’s lost weight. Not gained. More exercise? Sadly not. Improved diet? God no. However, during the winter I did cut waaaaay back on wine. A glass of wine is good for you. Red wine has antioxidants according to many credible sources. But wine is also packed with sugar (which I have to be careful of) and empty calories. I lost 15 pounds of just empty bloat and even though it wasn’t that much “Have you lost weight?” greeted me everywhere back when humans could be around each other.

BOREDOM IS THE ENEMY: Nothing succeeds like success but there’s nothing quite as seductive as doing nothing which becomes so engrossing that the thought of doing anything becomes repugnant. Look, I’ve not come close to achieving everything I wanted to in life but possibly one of my proudest accomplishments is that in my personal time I have not been bored IN YEARS. I’m typing this late on Tuesday night. You think I’m up late typing because it’s some kind of chore? I love writing! Words. Any words. All words. This is fun for me. And part of how I’ve stayed productive is be actually pursuing what’s fun for me.

The sentiment I can relate to the least is “I have nothing to do.” I do not have the time in my life to write all the movies and shows I want to, but good Goddamn I’m gonna try. On our persons at all times, we have the collection of all human knowledge and wisdom. The modern phone & computers resemble the super-computers dreamt of in the far future in 70s sci-fi. What is that thing that makes a tiny spark that makes you feel alive? It’s easy to neglect that in the day-to-day or doldrums of quarantine. If the answer is something you don’t know, it’s a great time to find out.

ONE DAY AT A TIME: This is definitely in regards to the pandemic. We all have the biggest, most life-altering questions on our mind right now:

*How will I pay rent/mortgage?

*Will I find work again?

*Will my kids be safe?

*Will my loved ones make it through this?

The answer to all of those questions from any source is the same – I don’t know. There is no sugarcoating the severity of what we’re going through. I’m typing this on a day where the US death toll is now 4 times that of 9/11. That doesn’t mean we need to – or should, quite frankly – live in fear.

When the NBA closed down, I knew this was something we’d never seen before. I saw a lot of people say “it’s the flu” or “we’ll be fine” or “it won’t be THAT bad.” I’m sorry to say that every expert who said those sentiments were wrong has been proven right. I am glad to say that being one of the very scared parties in those early days (a few weeks ago) has helped me figure out how to cope. Everything is changing every single day, so there really truly is no point in worrying about what might happen next week because no one has any idea what next week might look like. So make your calendar, schedule your activities, continue taking every precaution you can, keep checking in on those who matter in your life but remember – and this is true during non-pandemic times – everything can change in an instant.

Again, not all of these will work for you but if you’re stressed & overwhelmed, this ever-handsome & always-modest screenwriter hopes he was able to offer something you can use to alleviate some of that stress. And if you’re hurting & suffering, don’t be afraid to reach out to those who can help. And if you’re strong & healthy, reach out to those you can help.

Here’s a look at what’s next to my desk in my current home office:

Mean Gene Okerlund 1942 – 2019

“Bobby Heenan taught me, be the first one up and the last one to go to bed.”

“If you were to hang the chef for making a great taco, you will have hung an innocent man.”

“Hillbilly, I don’t want to spend the weekend shoveling horseshit.”

In 2012, I had the great privilege to work on the (so far) only season of WWE Legends’ House. I pride myself on being cool around celebrities but when I had to interview Mean Gene Okerlund for soundbites, I was genuinely star struck. I stumbled over my words, couldn’t ask questions clearly, ugh, it was awful. But Mean Gene being a 40 year pro thought nothing of and easily carried me through the interview. I was beating myself up and I learned in that moment to never again be star struck – he was a colleague, a coworker, not a celebrity.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Mean Gene became one of my closest friends on the entire cast & crew of the show. I asked a few questions about Wally Karbo & Verne Gagne and he knew I was legit. I got so good at interviewing Mean Gene he would request me daily – “you’re interviewing me today, right, Timmy?” We got our interviews down to where I got the bites I need to with one or two word questions. Mean Gene did indeed become my colleague, my coworker – and my friend.

It’s a wild thing to work closely with someone who was such an ingrained part of your childhood. But Gene Okerlund could not have been nicer, more cordial and above all – more professional. He was an industry pro who was game to do anything to make the show everything it could be.

Gene was also always complimentary to folks, making sure people were smiling and laughing. One time in an elevator at a casino, it was just me & Gene. A grandmother and her young grandson came on. Gene could be have been quiet, kept to himself but instead lit up and told jokes to the young boy. He then says to the grandmother “Anything goes wrong at this place, you send them to me.” No cameras looking. No one looking. Just Gene wanting to make people – everyday people – feel good.

My girlfriend at the time visited us on set. Gene was very taken with her and would ask the other wrestlers if they met her. “Hey, Hacksaw, did you get a look at the armpiece on this kid? Stunning!” he would bellow across the dinner table. Yes, that’s an antiquated saying but Gene was from another era and the intention was of the highest calibre.

Gene paid me two enormous compliments. It’s legend in the business that Gene like an after dinner cocktail. He didn’t say no to a before dinner cocktail either or one during. Several days he’d say to me “Timmy, when are we drinking?” I pride myself as one who never drinks on set or during. But after hours, the second to last day of shooting, myself, another crew member got to enjoy a nightcap with Mean Gene Okerlund & Pat Patterson who shared with us some of the best stories of their time in the business.

The second one came a few weeks into the shoot. I kept my experience on the small indie scene in the early 2000s to myself. I wanted to the wrestlers to know me as a TV Producer with a wrestling knowledge. When I opened up to Gene that I did in fact go to pro wrestling school in Rhode Island and reffed some indie matches, he beamed. “You should have gotten in the business! You’d have done great!” I don’t regret my decision to concentrate more on TV & movies than wrestling especially as I’ve been involved with producing wrestling from 2011 – 2018. So in a roundabout way, I did get in the business. To have the endorsement of someone with the success of Mean Gene Okerlund give me his own personal stamp of approval, well – that’s one award no one will ever be able to steal off of my shelf.

I never asked Gene for an autograph or to record a voicemail message as some other folks had. He had become a friend and that seemed wrong. When I got home from the shoot, I was delighted and flattered to see an email from Gene thanking me for all my hard work and the hope that we would work together one day. And it wasn’t lip service. A LinkedIn request soon followed. Unfortunately, we didn’t work together again but during the time with Lucha Underground, I got the chance to reconnect with Gene at a convention in Chicago. He lit up seeing me and was ever bit the gentleman his sterling reputation suggests.

Safe travels to my dear, long-time close personal friend, Mean Gene Okerlund who leaves us at 76 years young…

Sing Your Songs

The last time I wrote a long form blog was to articulate why I was a supporter of Hillary Clinton and ally for women’s equality. Shockingly, the case for was defeated in favor of a rich, white con-man whose false promises appeal to the rage and fear generated by an ever changing world.

Election night of 2016 was a stunning moment. Looking back, I’m ashamed at my own response. I saw people openly weeping. I heard too many stories from those close to me about the hopelessness and hurt they were feeling. The glass ceiling was firmly back in place. Voter apathy was never more damaging. White nationalism was made mainstream. The thousand lies from a man who were not equal to the sin of one lie from a woman. The idol of the rich, white man (on both sides) was revealed as the real symbol of America – not the shining city of the hill that Ronald Reagan once so nobly described.

As someone firmly rooted in the Left, I have no problem saluting Ronald Reagan. Or George W Bush. Or George HW Bush. Or Mitt Romney. We’re not in a Left vs Right struggle now in America. We’re in the midst of a moral crisis in which we as a nation are deciding who we are.

Now, I want to be clear about something – it is now more than apparent that a hostile foreign power interfered in this election. We do not have a legitimate President at the moment. The office is filled but it is vacant. He should not be recognized and how that story plays out is a long way from over.

But the Russian interference does not take away from the rampant “fear of the other” on the side of the right. Nor does it take away from the exceptional privilege on the left. To put the needs of a progressive ideology over the needs of the many pretty much cancels out said ideology.

So who are we? What are we doing?

Election night when they called Florida for Trump, it felt like the death blow. The path to victory was pretty murky after that. Like a lot of folks when dealing a befuddling question, I took to social media. I went on to facebook and wrote something along the lines of:

“OK, if he wins, what do we do?”

Despite being a scatter-brained creative who likes to color outside the lines and fill his blog with typos, I’m blessed with a healthy sense of pragmatism. Yes, I know how oxymoronic that sounds but that’s where I like to live. I would have no success in the arts if I didn’t have a strong sense of practicality.

So what do we do?

It’s late June, 2018. The election has only become more stunning. The unthinkable nightmare is the new normal. I cannot believe he’s lasted this long. I’m a lot more upset about him now then I was when he was declared victor. And with 2020 around the corner (for you younger readers – time really flies by as you older) it appears that he maybe there even longer.

In the almost 2 year timeframe, I and many others have marched in protest at the injustice and rampant corruption. I know people who’ve not only volunteered but have become involved. As in running – and winning! – in local elections. There is a blue wave. It is real. It is not future tense. It’s happening.

But is it enough? And does it quell the feeling of helplessness when children are screaming in cages for the simple fact that they were born a different color?

So what do we do?

It’s been an odd feeling for me. Recently, Murder Made Easy played at the Dances With Films Festival here in Hollywood. (We played the Chinese Theatre – I mean, HOLY SHIT) I had the great fortune of meeting a slew of great filmmakers. They had noble stories of how to fix the world, confronting today’s problems, tackling inequality and breaking the injustice at its core.

And then they’d turn to me and say “What’s your movie about?” Sheepishly, I responded “well, it’s an old fashioned murder mystery.” At times it felt like one going to a civil rights protest but their main contribution was bringing the snacks for everyone.

However, everyone lit up. Smiles widened. When asked by the festival what I felt people should walk away from Murder Made Easy with I said simply, “Fun. Indie movies can be fun.” Several of my fellow filmmakers concurred, telling me, “we need fun movies – especially today.”

Love letter to Agatha Christie aside, I do actually write stories which tackle the human condition, how we hurt each other as we help ourselves, despair, isolation, self-destruction. Those are things I like to write about. And again – it’s fun.

So for a few hours though, a movie can help us deal, can keep us sane, can help us catch our breath as we continue to say “no more” “enough” and “resist.”

We need to keep marching. We need to keep calling. We need to keep protesting.

And the artists out there – we need to sing our songs. I believe it was Johnny Cash who said after 9/11, an artist had to put pen to paper. Just to try to understand.

Our attention spans have become hyper-focused on the moment. Yes, we are in a national moral crisis. But it’s easy to forget we are in just the latest national moral crisis.

The DNC called me a few days after the election and told me that we are doomed without fundraising help. I told them, if we doomed, I’m not going to waste my money on a futile gesture. The poor fellow on the other side didn’t have much of response. His talking points were to point such an awful picture that people would scared into giving over money.

My experience has taught me that fear can be a terrible motivator. There is a strong argument agains that sentence but in this situation, I refuse to believe in doom. I’m not blind to the threat we’re under. I’m not turning away from the blatant racism that the US government is perpetrating at the border. And I’m not going to rationalize a single thing this administration has done.

But the path out, I believe, is through one of hope.

The more we believe we’re doomed, the more Putin has won. But the fact is we have a track record with some of this stuff.

We as a nation did not accept slavery. We fought our way out of that. Yes, massive prison reform is needed. John Legend sang his songs and is bringing attention to that.

The unrest we’re facing today kind of pales when compared to the 1960s. Sure, the hippies grew up to be the 80s Reagan’s and yes, red hats remind us that the desire to segregate remains strong. The marches must go on. And as we march we must remember – it was not a sense of “we’re doomed” that drove people across the bridge in Selma.

I didn’t defriend or block any Trump voters on facebook. I actually talked someone out of voting from Trump when I should them a speech from Trump where we said he would proudly eliminate her job. I get why many are turning their backs but I’m not sure that’s the answer. Nelson Mandela shook hands with his captors upon release from prison.

Sing your songs. Many who voted for him rationalized injustice, ignored racism and embraced their fears. Sing your songs. Let them know. You’ll be surprised how many will hear you.

It’s easy to feel like being creative is a waste of time. But look at many of your favorite artists and movies. I don’t need to see your collection but I know some if not many were inspired by times such as the one we’re in.

Sting sang about fields of gold but he also sang about the exploitation of the working class. “Brass watch, a check, maybe three weeks to live…”

Every look up the “Sunday Bloody Sunday” U2 sang about?

The heavy metal I grew up on featured some of the harshest criticism of war out there. And speaking of, the final episode of Blackadder Goes Fourth – a sitcom – is possibly the most powerful piece on World War I that I’ve ever seen.

Children are being ripped from their families. I’m seeing the new tax laws just brutalize people’s finances. Around the world, we are no longer being recognized by the allies with whom we defeated genuine evil.

Future generations are going to look back on these very days and ask “How?” Just as we do looking back on the insanity of slavery and the absurdity of segregation.

So sing your songs. We need them. Nope. It won’t fix everything. It won’t replace practical action like protest, volunteering and getting involved. But they will help.

We need to laugh. We need to hope. We need to be inspired. We need to counteract our worst ugliness with our purest beauty.

In pain? Sing your song – someone else in pain needs it. Badly.

Helpless? Sing your song – it will help someone else.

Hopeless? Sing your song – it will bring hope to others.

Sing your songs. They will drown out the vile hatred that comes screaming from under a red hat.

My signature for all my writing correspondences for a while has been “Keeping fighting the good fight.” It’s a phrase that can be traced back to the Bible. And I used it as an anthem of encouragement to my fellow writers as we all face times of rejection and self-doubt. It takes on a much more literal meaning nowadays.

So dear reader, we will talk more soon. Until then, keep fighting the good fight and sing your songs.

Below is one of oldest and dearest friends who’s been an inspiration to me, Genevieve, singing her song on one of the Sing for Hope pianos in New York City. Go on and give her page a like, then go sing your songs.

https://www.facebook.com/genevievemusicpage/videos/634820003545975/

Penumbra from Beleeve Entertainment

In this era of Wonder Woman, I figured this is a great time to throw out a quick plug to two of my favorite Wonder Women out here in Hollywood – Chelese Belmont & Shannan Leigh Reeve from Beleeve Entertainment. When I started this blog/podcast venture, I was hopeful that it would help my efforts to network with other industry pros. I’m delighted to say Chelese & Shannan were my first two connections and we remain great friends to this today.

When I first interviewed them way back in 2014, they were about to film the last scenes of their movie Penumbra. Those shoots and post-production later, Penumbra is a completed feature decorated with some laurels and it’s now available for sale. Penumbra takes a look at the impact drug addiction can have on all aspects of a family and I highly recommend it. In this era of vibrant independent film, brave stories are being told by all manner of artists. They may not have millions of dollars in PR behind them but these stories are out there. I hope this little plug continues to help shine a light on Beleeve Entertainment as they keep exploring brave stories that need to be told.

My original interview with Chelese & Shannan is here:

You can purchase Penumbra here:

www.BeleeveEntertainment.com

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBQSEDF/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_UcXAybZ17KNVN (or search Penumbra in Instant Video)

Vimeo On Demand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/penumbrafilm

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

A Note About Ron Greenfield

Hello, dear reader and hello, dear listener. A lot has happened since I had the chance to sit down and write in these pages. The election we all wanted over and done with is finally over and done with. And like with so many things we rush through, many of us wish we had a second chance at it to get it right. 2016 turned into 2017. Many celebrities have left us. Many new babies have joined us. The New England Patriots pulled off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. A movie I wrote is currently wrapping up in post. More on that in the coming weeks and months. And on top of other constant changes in the dance of life, I’ve accepted a position at a cable network which has taken up much of the time I dedicated to this venture.

But I don’t want these pages to go idle completely. I’m delighted to report that traffic for the blog and currently paused podcast has held steady since November, 2016. I have several more topics and announcements to explore the next few weeks but as I’ve been thinking about my first post for 2017, one name kept coming to mind…

Ron Greenfield.

I hope many of you heard my interview with Ron in 2014. If not, it’s embedded below. I first met Ron over twitter (where I’ve done a ton of my networking) as he was expanding his “Aspects Of Entertainment” brand. Our conversations were easy, enjoyable explorations of this funny thing called Show Business. Ron had been there, done that on his extensive career. I, on the other hand, had only been in the biz for 10 years or so at the time so I was just getting warmed up.

Ron and I had several great conversations over Skype and email. He always knew how to offer advice without telling you what to do. When talking about my search for representation, I’ll never forget his simple pearl of wisdom – “Just remember, Tim, there’s representation and then there’s representation.” A great reminder. Ron had been in the trenches with many Hollywood luminaries bringing promotions, designs and shows to life. He didn’t like to bash anyone and he was never snobby about what he achieved. In fact, he struck me as just as fascinated and full of wonder for Hollywood after his career as he was before it all started. And even in his “retirement” he worked tirelessly on his website and putting together his collection of interviews.

Ron was fully committed to yet another new venture when ill health forced him to put the pen down for a bit. The fight was as valiant as any I had seen but on November 9th, 2016, Ron Greenfield left us at 66 years young.

Ron was a tremendous supporter of myself and these pages. It is only fitting that I return here in 2017 with a tip of the cap to top gent, talented artist and good friend to so many creators – Ron Greenfield.

Ron’s fantastic website Aspects of Entertainment is filled lots of wisdom and knowledge about entertainment:

http://www.aspectsofentertainment.com

Ron’s Book Perspectives Of Entertainment is available here:

http://www.amazon.com/Perspectives-Entertainment-Ron-Greenfield-ebook/dp/B00B2Q5H36/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413309395&sr=8-1&keywords=Ron+Greenfield

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

I’m With Her…And Not Just Hillary.

“When everyone looks good, everyone looks good.” – pro wrestling axiom.

It’s always been my intention to keep politics out of the blog but with the Presidential election less than two weeks away, I find it hard not comment on the implications of what we’re the edge of.

A quick disclaimer: This post is not meant to be Anti-Republican or Anti-Conservative. How one votes is their business and as a storyteller, my first question for my audience is not “who’d you vote for?” Maybe one day over some cold refreshment, I’ll share which Republican principles I passionately agree with. (Stay the hell out of my script, government.)

This post isn’t even meant to be Anti-Donald Trump. Though let me add for the record. I, Tim Davis, Screenwriter, TV Producer and former pro-wrestling referee hereby reject Donald Trump because of his rampant bigotry, racism, homophobia, sexism, White nationalism, penchant for sexual assault, his disrespect of our Democracy, his possible sociopathic tendencies, fraudulent business practices and pathological lying. In whatever order you’d like. So actually, I guess yeah, I’m very Anti-Donald Trump. Sorry, Donald. Next time don’t be such an asshole.

Oh, go ahead and sue me Donald. I could use the publicity. Hey, maybe I’ll get to meet Jessica Drake in court! I mean, I don’t know who that is.

So suffice to say, I’m voting for Hillary Clinton. And the idea of putting Hillary Clinton on the same scale as Donald Trump is at best, intellectual dishonest and at worst, completely delusional. Saying Hillary Clinton is just as bad as Donald Trump is like saying “this Big Mac I just ate for lunch was almost as bad as the day my entire family was killed in a house fire.” And that’s not an exaggeration. Churchill was a sexist alcoholic. Anyone calling him as bad as Hitler would be deemed nuts.

I was for Hillary before I was for Obama. And with respect to the honorable Senator from Vermont, he was unable to dissuade me away from supporting her. I’m not voting for Hillary Clinton because she’s not Donald Trump. (I can think of no living or recently retired politician I would not pick over Trump.)

I’m voting for Hillary Clinton because she’s the most qualified candidate to run for the Presidency in my no longer short lifetime. She’s the single toughest politician I’ve ever seen in said lifespan. She’s overcome more smear, more attacks, more lies, more so-called scandals, more debasement, more sheer persecution than I’ve ever seen. They started on her long before Obama. I remember so many grown-ups in the 1990’s: “Who the hell does she think she is? She’s the first lady! She needs to learn her place.”

Oh, she learned her place alright. Her place is first one across the finish line of every political battle she’s had. Dick Morris and Trey Gowdy are in a “where are they now?” file while Hillary’s on the cusp of her biggest win yet. There’s a name for people like that in sports – Champion.

After all that the overt and covert sexism our society has thrown at her, Hillary stands poised to become the first female President of the United States. And in an election cycle that can only be described as surreal, she’s become the overwhelming rational choice for sanity everywhere accumulating the most votes of any candidate so far.

So yes, I’m voting Hillary. I’m one of the quiet majority that is actually VERY EXCITED AND ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT VOTING HILLARY!!!! Sorry news narrative, all the Hillary voters I know are crazy psyched about it. Yes, we actually do indeed like her.

And not only am I voting for Hillary, I’m voting for equality. No, not because we need a “token female President” to catch up with the rest of the world. But because the prejudices of America still need to be overcome. Voting for Hillary is my way of not listening to the inherent sexism of our society.

If Hillary Clinton were a man, her popularity would be through the roof. If Hillary Clinton were a man with the last name Kennedy, she’d have a statue by now. “BUT THE EMAILS!!!!” George W Bush (hell of a painter) and Karl Rove (yikes) deleted 5 million White House emails. No one cared. A woman does an infinitesimal percentage of a similar infraction and society at large is scandalized? That right there is sexism 101. If you’re mad at Hillary’s emails and not mad at W’s, I highly suggest you have some gender-equality figuring out to do.

And you know something? I might have deleted the same emails. It’s politics. It’s a tough business. Show me your favorite politician and I’ll show you similar corruption. It’s more ridiculous than deflate-gate at this point. (How’s that ratings drop, Goodell? Good job.)

It’s quite remarkable that when I ask people often very specific reasons why they dislike Hillary I get two kinds of answers either a) long debunked conspiracy theories (she has in fact murdered zero people) or b) these vague, amorphous blanket judgements. “I can’t explain why I just don’t like her.” Who’d have thought ambiguity could spark such passion?

“She’s shady…she’s suspicious…she’s mean…I just don’t like her.” She’s arguably the most vetted politician to get this close to the oval office. As far as the mean stuff goes, I’ve never seen her more harsh than her male counterparts which leads me to wonder if there’s some kind of sociological thing going in our culture. Does her yelling to defend herself remind us of when Mom used to yell us to finish our chores? Do we as a culture not like seeing women in such forceful roles?

“But she wrote mean emails about the Bernie campaign” So what? Seriously, so what? Welcome to big league politics. Bernie himself said he wrote mean emails about the Clinton camp! And I should hope so. They were fighting a high stakes game. Remember when Obama called Joe Biden stupid on a conference call? Upset about that one? Of course not, because men are expected to do that. A woman does it – GASP! Spare my blushes!!

Hillary hasn’t had to break a glass ceiling. She’s had to break through a glass ceiling that was covered in concrete while covered in mud and shackled in chains that spelt out “Double Standard.”

And she is far from alone. Hillary represents the plight of far too many women who don’t get paid as much male counterparts, don’t get the respect they deserve and are still pushing past second class citizen status.

One of the front lines in the battle for equality is my own industry – Hollywood. There’s been much written and talked about in regards to gender issues in the movie and TV business. There’s good news – progress and awareness for the issue has grown in the past few years. There’s bad news – there’s a hell of a lot more than needs to be done.

I don’t know what the answer is. I’m just one guy trying to sell some screenplays and making some movies I hope you’ll enjoy, dear reader.

I do know we need to talk about it more. I do know that Hollywood, our culture at large and the living generations have a lot to figure in regards to equality. Being quiet won’t help. Being defensive, yelling and screaming won’t help. But talking about it might.

So allow to share with you some experiences I’ve had and why I’m proud to write in these pages – we need gender equality in Hollywood right now.

The majority of bosses I’ve had in the Entertainment Business have in fact been women. Actually, the majority of bosses I’ve had in my life had been women. Most of them were great – driven, passionate, inspirational leaders. A few of them were shit – power-hungry, insecure, abusive. I could say the exact same thing about all the male bosses I’ve had. Because women, like men, are people.

Things are improving in Hollywood, albeit too slowly. But I noticed something this past year that I found very interesting. I did an enormous amount of pitching. The majority of “yes, I’d love to read your script” came from women. Like A LOT. I don’t have the exact stat (writer not a mathematician) but I’d guess it was around 70% of my “yeses” came from women. It got to the point where I was only seeking women to pitch to. (And uh, don’t give me the “but women execs are nicer than men execs” No. No, they are not. No one has the time to waste on a sympathy read.)

I can’t tell you why this track record has happened. No, I’m not flirting with them or bribing them or anything like that. I pride myself on professionalism. Maybe it’s because my stories are more intimate character dramas concentrating on people over concept? Or maybe the concepts I have appeal to the female demo that’s growing in genre? Maybe because I treat these women like equals and with respect? Maybe none or all of the above – I don’t know and I don’t ask. Once I get a yes, the script is mailed with a big “Thank You.”

People fear equality in an irrational sense. “If we give X more jobs, then there will be less jobs for us.” Before you email with examples of that happening, studies have shown that equal opportunity has lead to growth and expansion in many industries. An interesting read on the subject here from someone who I’m guessing is not a bleeding liberal: http://conversableeconomist.blogspot.com/2012/08/equal-opportunity-and-economic-growth.html

In other words, THEY are not coming to take YOUR job. THEY are coming for THEIR job which may in fact create a lot more of YOUR job. My own experience say my opportunities in my industry increase exponentially because of an increase in women gatekeepers in Hollywood. So keep ‘em coming, I say, I got a lot more scripts to pitch.

Inclusion is vital in Hollywood. There’s a limited number of plot lines and jokes. There’s a limitless number of ways to tell those plot lines and jokes when all ethnicities, cultures, orientations and genders (oh, the people who think there’s only two – they’re in for a shock this next century) are brought to the table. And no it will not be done at the expense of the White Man.

It’s always interesting to hear those who voice opposition to equality. Some basically say “I will not let you do to me what I’m doing to you.”

My girlfriend is writer. It makes me furious to think opportunities will be denied her just because she’s a women but I know they are. It’s happening and it needs to change. Some of the best producers I know are women. Some of the most kick-ass people creating their own brands and kicking down doors are actresses. The new trailblazers in the industry bring new stories, new visions and new frontiers are in fact women. “Murder Made Easy” a feature film written by yours truly, just wrapped production and our producer was a woman who was smart, tough and invaluable in making sure we got every shot we needed in the schedule and budget allotted.

When I look at who has inspired me the past few years as I fight this good fight in screenwriting, the majority of them are women.

While we have a long, long way to go and I certainly have not been perfect in this area, equality should be a no-brainer. Putting barriers in front of someone is asking for those same barriers to be put in front of you one day. I put these words on the page saying I stand with the moral justice that is equal rights for all. But there’s a selfishness to it, because I’ve seen the benefits to my own career the equality has brought. I want those people brought to the table because they may be the exact people who will look at me to write their stories.

Or as Hillary Clinton put it at the Convention: “when any barrier falls in America, for anyone, it clears the way for everyone.”

I’m with her. Because she’s for me.

Don’t forget to vote for freedom, for democracy and for equality.

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

Conquering The Ordinary Afternoon

There’s a natural enemy out there that I dare say all writers have to confront at one point or another. That enemy is – real life.

Whatever your genre, be it deep space fantasy adventure or small intimate character drama taking place in one room, a writer has to immerse themselves into their imagination as fully as one jumps into the deep end of a swimming pool.

I often cite the analogy of writing to swimming. You’re still on the planet Earth, you’re still amongst matter, you’re still able to move around and see even if you can’t utilize all your senses. Being in the space of the imagination is just like that – you’re still on the planet Earth, you’re still able to move around and see if you can’t actually talk to, touch or interact with your created world or characters.

The act of writing can take the writer into “a zone” if you will. Others have compared this to the zone an athlete gets into during a big game. Complete and total focus on the task at hand. I can tell you from experience that I’ve felt time disappear when writing. I’ve emerged from writing sessions actually confused about the time and date. When one commits as much of their mind as they can to their story, it’s often hard to switch gears back to the real world.

And as hard as it is to come out of the zone, it’s sometimes even more difficult to get into it. Especially when stupid, pesky life gets in the way. Writing during the week with a day job is, I’d suggest, one of the biggest challenges of writing. You don’t want to get fired so you can’t goof off doing your screenwriting at work. But work and even commutes alone (hi, 405) can take a ton of energy, physical and creative, out of you.

If you just write on the weekends, those aren’t so easy either. Let’s say you’re not hungover from an evening of Washington Apples and lite beers, you use your Saturdays and Sundays to go to the bank, do your grocery shopping, get your oil changed, see family members who are asking why you’re so busy writing and not seeing them. Precious hours to jump into the pool and swim with your stories fill up quickly.

It’s not always easy to imagine how to fend off an invasion of giant aliens on the surface of Mars while picking up your dry-cleaning or remembering if you already have corn on the cob at home. So after being at the Doctor’s office, day-care, on a dog walk or whatever, it’s hard to then jump into your extraordinary nature of your story in the middle of a perfectly ordinary afternoon. The stresses of real life can be the arch-enemy of your imagination.

Fortunately, there are ways to find the time and/or get into the zone so to speak without letting the fridge go bare or the tires fall of your car.

This list is by no means definitive, of course, but these are the things that have helped me manage my wicked fun workload with the annoying responsibilities of the real world. To add some credibility to that, this year I’ve completed several treatments, two pilots and two feature scripts. And I’m on track to finish two more feature scripts. Maybe more. Time and workflow management are not a pipe dream.

WRITE EVERY DAY: Writing every day isn’t just about completion. The more you write, the more it becomes habit. The more it becomes habit the more it becomes weird when you don’t write. My schedule got flipped around two weeks ago and I couldn’t write during a particular day. I can’t begin to tell you how that threw me off. Like one of those days when you’re constantly late or everyone seems to be in your way. The universe is just off.

About 4-5 years ago, getting into the writer’s zone was hard for me. It would sometimes take me an hour to warm up. That was not so good when some days I only had an hour to write. But force myself to write every day I did. (Yes, you are going to miss some, don’t panic) But before I knew it, I’d crack my software open and bam there I was, right in the zone.

Writing every single day and writing A LOT solves a ton of a writer’s problems. Including but not limited to getting in the zone.

WRITING RITUAL: Something else that helped was a ritual. I write to music (“yeah, no shit, everyone does”) but I choose specific soundtracks and music to each story. For example, earlier this year I wrote a story with heavy religious themes so I queued up some Gregorian Chants and things like that. I like to write to soundtracks and techno so I’ll choose accordingly material that matches the story I’m writing.

But the specifics aren’t as important as the ritual. Something that can hold your hand as you step into the pool. Queueing up the music helped a ton for me. I know other writers who can’t write without their favorite cup of coffee or tea at their side. All for it.

Maybe one likes to exercise before they write or do 15 minute meditation. Whatever works is whatever that works.

Just don’t do the whole “I can only write when I drink” thing. That’s more or less a myth and can lead to severe alcoholism and other destructive behavior.

CALENDAR: The best $14.95 I spent this year was on a calendar that’s on the wall right next to my desk. It’s so basic, so simple and yet you’d be surprised how many writers I talk to who don’t use one. When managing multiple projects and a day job and a family, looking at the week or month to see where you can work on what is a no-brainer. My stress level has plummeted just by being able to mark down “OK, Tuesday and Wednesday I’ll write this then Thursday and Friday I’ll write that.”

I know we like to think of ourselves as artists who are prisoners to their muse and the vagaries of inspiration but we’re also professionals who can be organized and pragmatic.

And it’s all in pencil so as the schedule gets messed up or you have those days where your writing time is just eaten up you can roll with the punches.

Seriously, next time you find yourself asking “where am I going to find the time to write this week?” Look at the calendar, you’ll find it.

PAD AND PEN: Even cheaper than a calendar are a notebook or notepad and some pens and/or pencil. We’re writers, not typists. I’ve filled more notebooks than I care to admit with story notes, character thoughts, ideas and concepts. I keep one with me just about everywhere I go so if a thought strikes from out o nowhere, I can write it down instead of shoving it away while talking to my mechanic. There’s also apps that do this on most if not all phones. Something strikes you as interesting? Write it down. No excuse not to.

UNPLUG: I don’t do this as much as I used to but I know other writers swear by it. The internet is a source of endless distractions. From twitter to facebook to instagrams of lunch to news to politics to games starring candy to adult entertainment and even looking up obscure movies on imdb. (Seriously, how can anyone with an internet connection ever be bored?) If all of those things are whispering in your ear like the devil on the shoulder – unplug. All of those things will wait. Any emergency will call you personally. Turn off the internet and fight to forget about it for a while. It’ll be hard at first, missing the endorphins those little notifications set off, but that rush will be replaced by writing – and finishing – more.

EMBRACING THE ORDINARY AFTERNOON: After a while of writing a lot and honing your craft, the real world becomes not distraction but an asset. And I mean for your writing, not just living. Many a writer has written about the importance of unlocking yourself from the keyboard.

Revisiting the first point, if you write every day, your story becomes a part of your subconscious. You’ll dream about it. And soon everything in life becomes connected to your story. Let’s say you’re stuck on a fight scene but then at the grocery story you’ll see two people trying to get the shortest line which may set off a line of thinking that actually cracks your problem with the scene. Nicholas Meyer has famously told the story that he didn’t know how to direct Star Trek II until playing with some rubber ducks in the tub.

“A writer is always working” is an old cliché but it’s not without some truth. Our stories are never far from our thoughts. There’s no clock where we punch out at the end of the day. Once our minds are trained to it, we have no choice but to design our tales while in line at the DMV, on hold with the cable company or while pretending to listen to our significant others.

Real life then becomes not a distraction that gets in the way but a necessity to keep our minds fresh. We’ll see the trees if we walk out of the forest so to speak. Still, it always sucks on those days when you can’t get back to your keyboard but this is an imperfect science looking at an imperfect craft.

As writers we have the privilege (insanity?) of straddling two worlds. We get to be there for our real friends while ruling over the lives of our imaginary ones. We shudder in terror at the atrocities on the news while staying up late creating disasters for our characters to overcome. Those two worlds seem at odds but in actuality, they should work in synch with other or crossing over as needed to get your story to where it needs to be for you to tell it.

So next time you’re picking up dry-cleaning, don’t forget to figure out how to fend off an invasion of giant aliens on the surface of Mars.

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

The Blank Page

A lot of writers fear the blank page. Much has been written about that empty, white monster staring back at a hapless author bereft of ideas who doesn’t know how to fill the space. And for many aspiring, new writers the blank page can be one of the scariest obstacles to face.

I have a confession to make. And I make it with no braggadocio but this is a fear I can’t relate to.

I just can’t. Mainly because I can’t recall any time when I was scared of the blank page. Maybe writing term papers in college but I even tried to make those fun much to the appreciation of my professors. I’m hard-pressed to remember a time when the blank page filled me with any kind of trepidation, nonetheless dread.

Not only am I not afraid of the blank page, I actually like it. OK, here’s the real confession – I love the blank page.

Love love love it.

I remember being in a museum years ago and a young art student was setting up an easel in a room to paint, I’m guessing, a reproduction of a painting on display. Or maybe it was the most brazen art forger in town but either way it was a fascinating juxtaposition of both sides of the journey. On the wall hung the completed piece after God knows how many years of practice, discipline and struggle. And just a few feet away was a young person just at the starting line, organizing their paints and brush while the large white canvas waited patiently to be filled with visuals that could make the eye go “Wow.”

Is it really that different for us writer? Our ideas are the paint. Our words are the brush. The blank page is literally the writer’s canvas, waiting patiently to be filled with our expression that will hopefully make the mind go “Wow.”

The blank page is the beginning. Chapter one, paragraph one, sentence one, word one.

The blank page is like the last day of school right before summer break. It’s that delicious anticipation of leaving the real world behind an entering another place, another reality or the endless confines of the imagination.

Where do you want to go? Gotham City, Tatooine, the prom except this time you’re the best dancer our there, the middle of a football field, a World War I battlefield, deep space, the deepest ocean (Jim Cameron’s probably driving a submarine there now) – you can go anywhere you want through that blank page. It is a writer’s own personal TARDIS.

I mean, come on. How awesome it to type stuff like:

FADE IN:

EXT. DEEP SPACE – NIGHT (ESTABLISHING)

The blank page was my gateway to every story I’ve ever wanted to write. I feel very fortunate that I always saw it like that. Something else that happens to me every time I finish the first draft of a script and I mean, EVERY SINGLE TIME, that I hit fade out and date the cover page – I want to go on again. Like when you were a kid (or an older roller coaster enthusiast) and you finish the roller coaster and your first thought is “I don’t care how long the line is, I want to go AGAIN” or when you put your favorite song on repeat.

I want to do that again and again and again. I cannot date too many cover pages.

And the way to get there is through the blank page. So as result, I see it not as this daunting white beast staring back at me from the abyss. Instead, the blank page is possibility, imagination, an old friend of never-ending potential.

The blank page is EXCITEMENT.

Besides, if you blow it on the first few pages, you’re going to rewrite them anyway so seriously no pressure. In my experience, Act One of a script or the first 25 pages get rewritten exponentially more than the rest of the script. Those first blank pages are where you can really screw everything up or to put it another way – it’s where you can really have fun.

The top of the mountain is the goal but you can’t get there without starting from where the rock bursts from the ground.

My suggestion is don’t run from the blank page. Don’t fear it. Embrace it. It’s our canvas. It’s where we find our stories, sometimes even find ourselves. It’s where we face our fear and discover our bravery.

The blank page is where we become writers.

*And if you’re wondering what’s happening at night in Deep Space, then I’ve really done my job.

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

On The Importance Of Tits And Dragons

Ian McShane is a master of his craft. I don’t know if I’d call him a genius because that label sometimes discounts the many hours of disciplined work and practice someone puts into their profession. But Ian McShane is a master. Just watch any episode of Deadwood for evidence. But the 73 year old actor has an incredible resume of achievements from “Dallas” to “Pirates Of The Caribbean” to his famous series “Lovejoy.” If I ever have the privilege of meeting him I would shake his hand in Congratulations on a stellar career.

Recently, Mr. McShane has raised the ire of many genre fans for giving away spoilers for his appearance on “Game Of Thrones.” He gave a response in the Telegraph which said, “You say the slightest thing and the internet goes ape…I was accused of giving the plot away, but I just think get a fucking life. It’s only tits and dragons.”

Here’s the original Telegraph article:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/03/11/ian-mcshane-game-of-thrones-is-just-tits-and-dragons/

I encourage you to read the entire article because there’s a lot more than just the “tits and dragons” line that made the headline.

And before you get excited, this isn’t a complete rebuke of Ian McShane’s comments. He’s done more than enough in this business to be entitled to whatever opinion he has. Besides, interview quotes are tricky. Was he just joking? Was he rolling his eyes at internet outrage? The quality of “Game Of Thrones” is pretty much undisputed so I’m sure he’d have some very glowing things to say about the script and experience. Of course, the internet being the internet, that’s harder to find than the mean comments.

But he does bring up some interesting points about internet outrage, spoilers and the genre experience.

Ian McShane cannot be more correct when he says “You say the slightest thing and the internet goes ape.” One just has to look at the ongoing feuds between many Bernie Sanders supporters and many Hillary Clinton supporters to know that’s true. Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders are putting an exemplary debate exchanging ideas in the political discourse. Some of their surrogates, however, are shouting at each other on talk shows and across social media. (Following the example of those they profess to love is some advice that wouldn’t go amiss.)

As I have explored in these pages, the keyboard can be a sword bringing bravery to many a troll. The black and white image of one quote taken out of context can instill an extreme judgement of “HOW COULD THEY?!?!” when in fact there was much more to the story.

I ain’t mad at McShane’s comments because every once in a while (or maybe every day) internet outrage really does need to be told to chill the fuck out. Judgments shouldn’t be made on one out of context quote, but by meticulously researching all aspects of a story. And I say this from no high horse. This all has to be learned the hard way. (“Well, OF COURSE, Iraq has weapons of mass destruction,” said I in 2003. We all can be very wrong about who we believe in.)

I was blocked on twitter not that long ago by a fellow Democrat who was losing her mind about Bernie Sanders ATTACKING Barack Obama. Mr. Sanders wasn’t in fact attacking Obama, but just pointing out how his policies differed from the President’s. In a very reasonable manner. It’s also reasonable to guess President Obama wasn’t mad at Senator Sanders comments. Disagreements happen all the time in politics but the mere suggestion that Bernie Sanders wasn’t the enemy lead to a barrage of rage from this person toward myself and several other people. I’m a loyal and proud voter of Barack Obama but I apparently betrayed the cause by not being mad enough at Bernie Sanders it seems.

(I’ve received the same rage by the way from some Bernie supporters for not loving him so much. There is no political bent that is immune to the pitchfork mentality of mob outrage.)

There’s also the matter of spoilers. In this day and age, they’re getting harder and harder to avoid, but as I’ve mentioned before, apps like this can be a lifesaver:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/unspoiler/oookgbbhgojdebhnmkmhgfagoiknifgi?hl=en-US

Typing in Game Of Thrones into that app might have kept fans safe from the secret being spilled. It’s impossible to ask the whole world to be quiet about spoilers but there are earmuffs out there that we can wear.

But then there’s the matter of dismissing the genre. In all honesty, I don’t think that’s what Ian McShane meant to do. However, for a great number of years, many us who lurked in Comic Book shops have had to deal with our passions being dismissed with an easy wave of the hand. The explosion of genre programming today shows that those passions weren’t just passing phases and they should not have been so easily dismissed.

Recently, even I was gobsmacked by the amount of attention the new “Captain America: Civil War” trailer got. I don’t mean the buzz but I mean voluminous articles breaking down every shot. Spider-Man’s uniform being combed over. New theories about the plot were written in great detail. People went nuts over this trailer. Google it if you don’t believe me.

Why in the hell would anyone spend so much time and energy over a single few minute long trailer?

The answer is quite simple: It’s important to them.

VERY important to them.

Some scoff and say that Comic books, sci-fi and escapist entertainment is nowhere near as important as serious drama. Perhaps not. That is the endless debate between critics and fans.

Then of course some say that people shouldn’t get so emotionally invested in these kind of genre things. It’s not as important as cancer, domestic violence, rape, abuse and all the other horrors of the world that need fixing. “Why don’t people spend more time worrying about that than the new Godzilla movie?” some will ask with furrowed brows of disappointment.

Those furrowed brows are missing a very key point. Cancer, domestic violence, rape, abuse and all the other horrors of the world are WHY genre is so important. The words nerd and geek have now become affectionate labels for those of us who spend time watching the TARDIS materialize or dress in Starfleet uniforms. It’s easy to forget that the words nerd and geek used to be (and maybe still are) some of the worst names you could be called on the playground. Bullies earned their stripes by inflicting as much torment on the geeks at school and as far as dating went? Forget it.

The “It Gets Better Campaign” reminds us these trends are still there despite the mainstream money-machine that genre has become. So when school is a place of abject terror, when home is a hell of domestic violence, when the steel grip of depression keeps you clawed down, it’s hard to know where to turn.

Many people find not just solace and comfort, but pure bliss in the pages of a fantasy novel, the images of comic book or the wild adventures found in deep space. That faraway land isn’t just mindless escapism but where our troubled minds can escape the painful, chaotic asshole that is real life and find some kind of peace.

And that is the one place I would respectfully disagree with the estimable Mr. McShane. Many of the people who are so invested in shows like Game Of Thrones ARE in fact getting themselves a life.

Yup. Genre entertainment can be damn silly. The sets sometimes wobble and the acting can reach over the top proportions.

Yup. Genre entertainment can take itself way too seriously. Fandom can overreact to the slightest changes in canon and should sometimes take a step back a bit. (I still for the life of me do not get the rage at Goyer & Mazin’s She-Hulk jokes. Google that if you don’t believe me or maybe don’t.)

The world is unfair. The world is filled with tragedy that can strike at any second. The world hurts. Genre, escapism and entertainment, I put it to you dear reader is not just spaceships and superheroes. It is medicine for those hurts.

People often ask me if I’m ashamed of the work I did in Reality TV. “Are you kidding?” is usually my reply. I spent more than a decade laboring to entertainment millions upon millions of people. Even some of the small shows I worked in got around 700,000 viewers. That’s a SHIT TON of people when you think about it. If the show I was working on was a way for those folks to unwind, relax from their day and deal with whatever they were stressing out about, I’m not only not ashamed of the show – I am HONORED to have been a part of it.

Yup. Genre entertainment IS people’s lives. And it will always be of vital importance as long as there are hurts that people need healed.

And besides, the description of “Tits and Dragons” I daresay would attract a great number of viewers. I mean, come on, a show about tits and dragons – how can you go wrong?

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

Ideas On Ideas

Happy New Year one and all! The holiday lights are down and everyone is pretty much back to work. I hope all the screenwriters out there have pen to paper fighting the good fight.

As we embark on an adventurous new year, I figured it’s a good time to explore one of the more difficult questions a writer gets asked:

“Where do you get your ideas?”

Much has been written on the subject. There are few straight or easy answers. Harlan Ellison famously acidic reply to this question: “When some jamook asks me this one (thereby revealing him/herself to be a person who has about as much imaginative muscle as a head of lettuce), I always smile prettily and answer, “Schenectady.” And when the jamook looks at me quizzically, and scratches head with hairy hand, I add: “Oh, sure. There’s a swell Idea Service in Schenectady; and every week I send ’em twenty-five bucks; and every week they send me a fresh six-pack of ideas.”

In some ways asking a writer where they get their ideas is kind of like asking a gymnast how they perform an somersault. It’s a skill very difficult to explain but more than possible after a lot of practice. Of course, having an idea is not unique to writers. But having a large number of new and fresh ideas is an essential part of the writer’s job. Whenever I tell someone I’m a writer, I often get the response, “I’ve got a great idea for a movie!” to which I’ll sometimes reply, “That’s great. I’ve got about 50.” (And 50 is low but I don’t want to be unkind.)

Screenwriters are constantly bombarded by ideas and sometimes it’s harder to decide which one to pursue as opposed to thinking up bold new concepts. At the same time there are fair number of people who’d like to try writing or are even very experienced who have a hard time coming up with ideas.

This is by no means a definitive guide, but here’s some things that I’ve learned over the past few years that have helped me generate a constant flow of ideas for stories:

BE OPEN: This is actually harder than it sounds, depending on your ego. But a great way to be open to ideas is to – be open. Be open to new concepts, new opinions, new theories, new judgments, new…well, ideas. No matter how intelligent, intuitive or well-educated we are, there is always new things to learn in our ever changing lives. Shedding preconceived notions and retaining as much curiosity can be an absolute gold mine. In other words, revel in the fact that you don’t know everything.

Open your ears, open your mind, listen and watch the world around you. Everyday life is actually an endless supply of source material for story. Everyday scenes in life provide countless inspirations for writers. Don’t worry if the idea is concept or genius, just be open to what’s happening. Fantastic movies, novels and TV shows have been born out of those small struggles.

The concept for one of my pilots clicked into place while delayed in airport terminal and I started to think about a bunch of grumpy people being trapped together. Then I thought, what if everyone trapped together were a mix of criminals, outcasts and losers? Then I thought, what if they were exiled together in the last hiding place an Earth? What if that last hiding spot was actually a remote, hidden bar? A few weeks later the first draft of Finnegan’s was written. A year later, Finnegan’s was collecting laurels on the Festival circuit and today is in the hands of several gatekeepers.

A lot of ideas manifest and grow just by looking around and saying “what if…” Practice by trying to make a story, any kind of story, even just a concept, from things you see every day. You may be surprised how many are feasible and actually pretty good. (Honestly, I think I’ve thought of 10 movies just from walking the dog.)

Listen, Listen, LISTEN: This is similar to above but it’s worth going over. Listen to people. Especially people with dramatically different views and experiences than you.

Some of the very best writers I know spend their time at parties or at the bar asking people questions (and not pitching their stories.) And I mean A LOT of questions. One of the reasons I started the podcast was to ask lot of questions and to absorb the answers.

Talk to people you don’t agree with. Don’t argue with them, just talk them. Are you atheist? Find out why someone is a true believer in God. Don’t judge them, just do your best to understand them. Liberal? Have dinner with a conservative or vice versa. Explore all the layers that make up the difference of opinion and that far too often get lost in “YOU’RE WRONG.” This won’t only help you with ideas, but in creating real three dimensional characters and not one-dimensional stereotypes.

So much of writing is reliant on a distinct understanding of people. Not snap judgments or social media wisdom “People who believe in common core are stupid” kind of thing. I mean, a real understanding of people. Hopes, dreams, fears, adversities, pride and belief are the playing field of the writer. Sticking to only our own can be narrow-minded and detrimental.

READ: If you’re shy or don’t want to talk to people because they’re people and who needs that aggravation, there’s still plenty of ways to explore the world and the people who live in it.

You don’t have to be like Sarah Palin and read “all the newspapers” but there’s little excuse to not have a firm grasp on current events. I can think of several writers I knew of whom I suspected would fail because they just didn’t care about the current events.

Watch the news when you exercise. Read about your community on the subway or in waiting rooms. Read about other communities far away. Whatever news you like, as long it’s telling you “This is what happened today and this is what a number of people think of it.”

If you can’t stand the news or politics, fair enough. Every month fine publications are printing things you don’t know. For example, these are some of my favorite screenwriting magazines:

“Breaking Bad” was inspired by a newspaper article, don’t forget.

Story mechanics are reinforced by story mechanics so it’s always good practice to be reading as many stories as you can.

And don’t get mad, Script magazine, I read and like you guys too.

Write down well, everything: Waiting for genius or inspired greatness can be a very long wait. Many fail at writing anything at all because they’re waiting for that “perfect idea.” Many succeed at writing because they write down the imperfect idea and get to work on making it better.

Your local pharmacy or office supply store sells notebooks for literally a few bucks. Grab some. Take one with you everywhere you go. Or use the notes app in your phone or tablet.

Write down EVERYTHING that inspires you. Write down every little idea or even scene or line that occurs to you. Again, don’t worry about the quality or level of genius. Just write it down. The next thing you know, you’ll have a notebook filled with an armada of scenes, ideas, dialogue all kinds of things that could really save you as you write your story. Or maybe all those things will become one story. Whatever works, you’re the writer after all.

The more you write down, the more you’ll write down. The more you’ll be looking for stuff to write down, the more open you’ll be. And the more confident you’ll be because now you’ve got an arsenal of ideas under your arm wherever you go.

PAIN: This is the one I hear the least about in a lot of screenwriting literature and I’ll argue it’s the most important source for ideas – Your own personal pain.

No, I don’t mean embarrassing stories from high school or that time you got fired for being late too much or whatever. I mean the deep searing pain in your soul. I’m talking about the pain that comes from alcoholism or a childhood of abuse. I’m talking about the pain from rejection, from people hating you, from abandonment. The pain that makes people do drugs, cry endlessly or stay awake all night.

There’s a lot of other phrases like “emotional truth” but people are for the most part talking about pain. Of course, you can explore your happy place as well but conflict, drama, struggle, adversity and obstacle all come from the well of our own personal pain we struggle with every single day.

The exploration of that pain is extremely difficult but in many ways it’s necessary to become any kind of writer worth a damn. If you’re hiding or lying about the pain in your life, it’s going to be hard to sit down and write a scene where your leads come to terms with the pain in theirs. Not impossible but hard. And the quality of the drama won’t be there.

We’re artists. And artists not only recreate the world around them, they also explore the world inside of them. How many times have you said during a movie or TV show “It’s like they know exactly what I’m going through?” It’s because they do and they’ve had to face it in order to bring that story to the screen. It’s easy to feel like we’re alone with our pain but the reality is that there’s a whole audience out there who are feeling exactly what we’re feeling.

If you want to be a writer, be ready for tears on the keyboard.

Hopefully this post offers a way to several new ideas. Which one should you write? That’s up to you. But I always let myself be possessed by one. In other words, I may think of an idea on Monday, let’s say. If I think about it every single day that week, I’ll ideally start it the following Monday. If I forget about it or it gets lowered down the ladder by other ideas, I’ll start it much later.

Great stories possess the soul of the viewer, but first they have to possess the soul of the writer. The idea has become something I HAVE to write. Keep writing, keep being open, keep listening, keep reading, keep exploring your pain until you find one.

I hope these pages are at least somewhat helpful as you embark on the good fight. Have a great 2016, everyone!

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

A Tiny Bit Of Inspiration: An Interview With Kyle Newmaster

Writing music feels like voodoo to me so it’s with great pleasure I welcome composer Kyle Newmaster to the show. Kyle is a classically trained musician who studied jazz before turning his hand to movie soundtracks. A lifelong fan of the movies, Kyle has scored a variety of films including “Where Hope Grows”, “ABC’s Of Death 2”, “Something Wicked” and “The Myth Of The American Sleepover.” With “Star Wars” in the air, we also touch upon Kyle’s work on video games for the famous saga.

Kyle gives us a detailed rundown on how a movie score is completed, from those first notes on a piano all the way to orchestration. The process is not that different from that of screenwriting as we found many similarities in our discussion. Sometimes creative endeavors seem impossibly daunting but Kyle offers great insight on how to tackle them one step – or note – at a time. Enjoy:

For more on Kyle and his music, check out his website:

http://www.kylenewmaster.com/

Kyle’s IMDB page is here:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1786083/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

For samples from his Kinect soundtrack:

https://soundcloud.com/kylenewmaster/sets/kinect-star-wars-soundtrack

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

The Success Of Failure: An Interview With Jennifer Sharp

Screenwriters constantly have to do deal with feedback and notes. They should always be listened to and considered. But then there’s THOSE reads. Those reads that say “this script is horrible” or “you can’t write.” Festivals and coverage services can be great sources for criticism but you run the risk of sometimes getting that kind of reaction.

Joining me to talk about how to handle that is Jennifer Sharp. Director of the feature film “I’m Through With White Girls” and an award-winning screenwriter as well, Jennifer shares some of the soul-crushing reads she’s received. But she also talks about how that doesn’t have to be the end. This a great conversation about having the resiliency to block out those who hate your work and finding the people who will love it. Enjoy:

For more on Jennifer and her films, check out her homepage.

www.jennifersharpfilms.com

Jennifer can be found on twitter with her brand new handle: @jensharpfilms

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

What Screenwriters Should Say When Rejected

“When it’s over for a woman, it’s over. You’re not getting an appeal.” – Jack Nicholson

“No one wants your stuff” – William Goldman

“Everyone gets a lot of no’s. It’s almost always more no’s then yes’s.” – Vince Gilligan

If you’re a professional football player, you’re signing up to get tackled. Even the kickers take a fair share of brutal shots.

If you’re a boxer, you’re signing up to get punched in the face.

If you’re a screenwriter, you’re signing up to get rejected. A LOT.

There is no avoiding it. Think of your favorite screenwriter. Be it David Mamet, Aaron Sorkin, Paddy Chayefsky, et al, they’ve all heard the most four-lettered of all four letter words: “PASS”

Let’s not mince words, rejection sucks. It is one of the great fears in life up there with spiders and public speaking. And rightfully so. If one thinks of their most painful moments in life, it’s reasonable to guess some of those are directly because of rejection. It reduces grown adults to tears, it wrecks self-esteem, it jades optimism and can often send one down a self-destructive path.

So it is no wonder that when some people turn away from the creative life, “fear of rejection” is often a primary reason. The idea of pouring your blood, sweat and tears into something artistic only to get a “meh” or a “PASS” from either the audience or the gatekeepers is not, on paper, the best way to spend one’s days.

Over the past few years, I’ve been fortunate to have some success and create some in-roads. I’m in the process of signing with some representation as we speak. But I’ve also dealt with A LOT of rejection. In fact, some actors have told me they think screenwriters deal with more rejection than they do. That’s a scary stat, though not an insurmountable one.

Because one thing I’ve learned is entertainment industry rejection is a lot different from real-life rejection.

When someone doesn’t want to go out with you, it sucks. And a lot of times, the terms are not negotiable. There may be no physical attraction, the philosophies don’t mesh, you just don’t enjoy each other’s company etc. The internet is filled with ads about “how to trick people into going out with you” and fortunately, I’ve never had to use those so I can’t verify their results.(For the record, I remain dubious of those claims.)

If you’re an aspiring screenwriter and are scared of being rejected, let me assure you it is not like “I don’t like you anymore” or “I’m breaking up with you.” It’s still painful to get a pass on your script but it’s really not the same thing. Scripts being passed on are not a personal judgment and shouldn’t be taken as such.

“Your script doesn’t fit our slate” is very very different from “I hate you, wish I never met you and never want to see you again.” There’s a ton of reasons why a company (production or management) will reject your work that have nothing to do with the quality of the script.

*They don’t have room on their slate for your project.

*It wouldn’t be a good fit for the leads they have deals with.

*They may think it’s too risky for them.

*They may not know how to market it.

*They may not be able to afford it.

And there’s one thing every Screenwriter should say to a PASS – “Thank You.”

Seriously. Say Thank You.

First of all, no one owes you a read. No one owes you a yes. No one is waiting to bow down to the brilliance of your script. Everyone you’re pitching to has read a pile of scripts taller than Andre The Giant. No one owes you anything so the fact that they are taking a few minutes or an email or a phone call to hear your idea is a big deal. You don’t have to grovel or go into penitent-man-will-pass mode. But say Thank You. I open and close all of my pitches with “Thank You for listening to my pitch.” Time is the most valuable thing anyone has and showing the proper respect for one’s time will never hurt and only show you’re a professional.

Even if you get a pass, say Thank You.

Not everyone has the good graces to call and say “Sorry, we’re passing.” Some folks will just leave you hanging because they’re scared of hurting your feelings. (***Note to those folks: I suggest giving the bad medicine. It hurts, sure but it also tells us to look elsewhere instead of holding onto false hope.) If someone tells you they’re passing but you then respond like a professional, you’re now not dealing with rejection – you may have just made a new connection.

Being defensive doesn’t help anyone, least of all the screenwriter. Everyone knows you’re mad or hurt or upset about the Pass. Let me repeat that – EVERYONE knows you’re mad or hurt or upset about the Pass. You don’t have to tell them, it’s no secret. By all means, complain loudly over some libation to friends and loved ones. This is why God invented bars. But getting into a fight or being a smart-ass to the person passing only gets them to cross your name off of their list. Being a professional and being cool about it can get you in their rolodex. Because again – EVERY single screenwriter gets passed on. It’s how they respond to that pass that matters.

If you’re confused about why you got a pass, go ahead and ask. They may answer, they may not but if you’re open-minded and are receptive to their reasons, then your reputation only goes up. Hollywood is BIG business but it’s a small town. Falling outs, bad attitudes and unprofessional behavior are remembered.

Even I get defensive replies from writers if I say that I don’t have time to read their scripts or am not available for a collaboration. And it’s stunning and quite frankly, shameful. My schedule has been so busy lately, I’ve been unable to record any interviews for a while. For people to treat that or the producers and gatekeepers their pitching to with attitude is just downright selfish and rude.

It’s a cliché but it’s true – you will probably be seeing these people again and again. Let’s say a producer passes on you and you’re so indignant about the insult of the pass, you tell them to fuck off. You make a fresh start elsewhere and build up your screenwriting career. Years later you end up pitching the head of let’s say Universal for a big, big money show. In walks that producer you told to fuck off. They pass on your pitch – AGAIN – and your “fuck off” has gotten you nothing. Seriously, save the bitching for the bar. Sleep it off and get back to grind after the coffee washes away the hangover.

It’s Not You, It’s Them: For real. Production companies and management firms are looking to make money in a hyper-competitive marketplace that is changing at warp speed. We know there’s more Star Wars movies coming. How kids born today will be watching them in five-six years is anyone’s guess. So we screenwriters have to remember that Producers and Agents are not waking up and saying “How can I make some screenwriting dreams come true?” They’re waking up trying to survive – just like we are.

You’re talking to people who are balancing multi-million projects and making high stakes decisions with their careers on the line. Understand that before you walk in the room. Your script may be a huge part of your life but in context, it is a smaller piece of a much, much large industry with probably a million other decisions to be made even if you’re lucky enough to get a yes. They may look at your project and say “can’t make that work right now” but the more you pitch, the more they hear your voice, the more likely it is they will soon be making it work.

I’ve gotten tons of passes. I’ve gotten zero “don’t come back.” In fact, I’ve gotten many “Not for us at this time, but we’d love to hear future ideas.”

Industry rejection is not permanent: Let’s say a company passes on you but you do some rewrites, maybe find a manager or that same script wins a few laurels on the festival circuit. That company maybe very open-minded to revisiting your idea. They don’t know everything and they know they don’t know everything.

Production slates and management needs are constantly changing. Today’s “pass” could very well be tomorrow’s “Where have you been??” which leads us to…

Research Who You Pitch: This is a very important point because it’s something agents, managers and production companies say all the time. Many aspiring screenwriters think that casting as wide a net as possible is the best strategy with queries and cold calls. If you’ve written the most revolutionary horror movie in years, chances are the company producing 10 rom-coms a year isn’t going to buy – or even waste their time hearing the pitch.

Yes, there are exceptions to every rule and maybe your horror will be what turns “Rom-Com Productions” into the next Blumhouse. It’s still a smart strategy to focus your efforts onto the people who are representing and producing the material you like to write.

I’ve made this mistake myself. I got a read from a manager who I didn’t realize repped like 80% comedies so my gritty crime drama got a pass with a “needs a lot more jokes.” Oops. I’m much, much more careful now and learn from my mistake, you’ll save some aggravation by heading off some of these rejections at the pass.

Every Pitch/Rejection Is An Opportunity: I know that sounds real saccharin but it’s true. This past year alone I had two rough pitch sessions. The people passed but the questions they asked me pointed out some clarity problems in the pitch. I put my “well, fuck you” aside and used their questions to rework my pitch. As a result, I’ve heard “YES” several times since. So quite frankly, if I saw those folks again I’d happily shake their hands and say “Thank You.” Those rejections actually helped me out huge and on a purely pragmatic level.

Listen to how people are responding, what questions they’re asking and the notes they’re giving. There is no better window into what the other side of the desk is looking for.

We Already Have Something Like It: One of the best you can get. Sure, someone got there first, but it also shows your idea is relevant and you’re onto something. If someone is buying and idea like yours, then in this competitive market it’s likely someone else is looking to buy yours. This pass is a big, flashing sign that says “KEEP GOING.”

If They Do Hate It: If you believe in your story, with your heart of hearts and think it should be told to the world and then you pitch to someone who responds “That’s dogshit” well, smile, say thank you and move on. Don’t look back. They’re probably not going to like your voice or your stories so you need to find the people who will.

I don’t always love to hide behind the blanket of “subjectivity” but there IS a matter of tastes to this business. That said…

Your Script/Pitch May Actually Be Terrible: Here’s the one none of us want to deal with but until it gets made, the idea of your script not working at all must remain on the table. Screenwriting is a strange vocation because even when we’re “done” the script is still a launching pad for production and post-production. And the script will go through changes, sometimes HUGE changes, during those processes. Scripts are constantly fluid and subject to reworking.

If your scripts are really generating no reception, no reads, no buzz or heat, it’s a good idea to take as objective a look as possible at the material. Maybe it’s your pitch. Maybe it’s how your idea is being presented. Maybe it is in fact your script.

A circle of readers or being a part of a writer’s group might help you out with this. If you don’t have access to that, there are sites like The Black List and script consultants out there to give you notes and coverage to get your story where it needs to be. (VET any script consultants. Don’t just give some schmuck who’s written two unsold scripts $$$ for notes. I’ve won awards and wouldn’t even think of charging – even if I did have time to read a stranger’s scripts.)

So yes, the possibility your story isn’t working has to be considered during this discussion. Sometimes it is you, not them. But the doors are not slammed to you. If your rewrites help and you get the story on track, the same people who said no before may become your new champions when it’s ready.

Being as objective as possible or having the perspective of a reader are vital tools to being any kind of writer. So you can’t always chalk up the “no’s” to “well, what do they know?” Hell, constantly trying to improve your writing is a part of the quest – yes or no. Sell 12 scripts last year? That’s great, you should still be trying to get better.

There is no avoiding rejection and “PASS” on the screenwriting journey. But if you arm and prepare yourself properly, you’ll be able to survive this minefield. How many and how much you can take is up to you. I suggest you take all the no’s on the chin and learn everything you can from them. Say Thank You and put that pen back to paper.

Because one yes will wipe all the no’s.

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

Perspectives On Entertainment 2 from Ron Greenfield

After months of interviewing others, I was very delighted and flattered to be interviewed by my friend and colleague, Ron Greenfield. Ron offered one of the most informative episodes of the Express thanks to his hands-on, in-the-room experience in many areas of the entertainment business.

Just released is Perspectives Of Entertainment 2 in which Ron interviews a great number of esteemed artists pursuing the creative life. It is a great thrill that he included me in such august company and I hope I was able to offer some valuable words. This new collection is a must-read for those looking to break-in to show business or those who just fascinated by it because you’re hearing from folks who have truly “been there, done that” and are still doing it.

From the Press Release:

Ron Greenfield is a recognized authority on the Entertainment Industry who has just released his second book, “Perspectives on Entertainment 2, Pursuing Our Passion” on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014GBQTIA and iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1033732329 It is an exploration into the creative process, conducted through a series of interviews, with extraordinarily talented individuals, providing an insider’s view into the highs, lows, triumphs and setbacks they have encountered in their respective careers in this industry.

Each person sheds light on their individual creative process which enables them to work and realize their creative ambitions under the illumination of the entertainment spotlight. The conversations vary in length, but get to the heart of the matter: their creative aspirations, ambitions, and the work they do. Each interview is an excursion, moving through the worlds of the Broadway Theater, dance, and nightclub performers to the complexities of game development, writing, pod-casting, acting, and preserving our film heritage.

“I’m the audience…There has to be something relatable to the audience…something that is unique.” – Neal Rubinstein, Broadway Producer

“I’m here to sing for you and to take you away because I’m an entertainer. I’m singing about something you can relate to.” – Karen Wyman, Entertainer and Performer

“I always felt a bit more comfortable with costume design…I like working with actors, and I like the collaboration it involves.” – Jess Goldstein, Costume Designer

“…the bar is set very high these days, and so the people I represent and other publicists represent have to have something special to stand out above the crowd.” – Lisa Wartur, CEO and Publicist, Noodlehead Productions

“You have to write, write, write, all the time. Write screenplays. Write treatments. Write notes… Help inspiration out with exploring this stuff actively.” – Tim Davis, Screenwriter

“I trust my intuition more than anything. I usually go with my first initial reaction after reading a script where it comes to creating a character.” – Jeffrey Staab, Actor

“It’s the director’s vision of what he is really allowing you and focusing your eyes to see.” – John Carpenter, Film Historian and Preservationist

Ron Greenfield is the CEO and creator of www.aspectsofentertainment.com , and an acknowledged expert on the entertainment industry. He writes extensively on subjects pertaining to the industry and creativity through his blogs, articles, videos, and featured interviews. For more information and/or interview booking, speaking engagements and television appearances, please contact him at: info@aspectsofentertainment.com

My interview with Ron Greenfield can be found here:

https://handsometimmydexpress.com/2014/10/14/aspects-of-entertainment-an-interview-with-ron-greenfield/

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

Once More, With Feeling: An Interview With Daphne Ashbrook

Daphne Ashbrook is an actor who has probably appeared in your favorite show. With a resume in theatre, film and television shows ranging from “Knight Rider” to “Murder She Wrote” to “NCIS” to “The OC,” just to name a few, Daphne’s honed her craft into an incredibly successful career. She is a favorite among science fiction fans as well for being one of the few people to appear in both “Star Trek” and “Doctor Who.” In recent years, she’s branched beyond acting by releasing several albums “Grace Notes” “All Good Dreamers” and penning a memoir on acting “Dead Woman Laughing.”

Daphne’s latest adventure is writing, producing and starring in a new short film, “Once More, With Feeling.” Inspired by a true and frightening turn of events during a trip to Joshua Tree, “Once More, With Feeling” tackles intense issues such PTSD and suicide but with a humorous slant as well. As you’ll hear, Daphne’s indefatigable spirit is sending her on an artistic journey where she has to relive her fears. This is a great and inspiring listen which brings home the courage needed to bring your vision to life. Enjoy:

Once More, With Feeling IndieGogo fundraising site:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/once-more-with-feeling–2/x/3052639#/story

Once More, With Feeling FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/OnceMoreWithFeelingmovie?ref=hl

Once More, With Feeling website:

http://once-more-with-feeling.weebly.com/

Once More, With Feeling IMdb:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4813566/

Daphne Ashbrook’s website:

http://www.daphneashbrook.com

Daphne Ashbrook Official FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/reallydaphne?ref=hl

Matthew Jacobs’ “Doctor Who Am I” website:

http://www.doctorwhoami.com/

The Official “Doctor Who Am I” Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/doctorwhoami?ref=hl

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

The wHOLE: An Interview With Ramon Hamilton

Episode 30 of the Express welcomes a fearless filmmaker from a production company that’s tackling important stories head-on. Writer/Director Ramon Hamilton founded Think Ten Media Group along with his wife, Producer Jennifer Fischer. Think Ten is telling stories of very human struggles with some of today’s most important issue as their backdrop.

This week sees the launch of their new web series The wHOLE which is an unflinching look at solitary confinement. Ramon endeavors to look at all sides of an issue within his story without losing the intimate, human element. We also talk about how he embraces the limitations of shooting on a smaller independent budget. This is a very informative listen for people looking to write important dramas and for people who want to make movies but don’t have access big studio money. Enjoy:

Links To:

You can watch The wHOLE here:

http://www.thewholeseries.com/

Click here to learn more about The wHOLE and to support future episodes:

http://www.seedandspark.com/studio/whole

For more on Think Ten Media Group:

http://www.thinktenmediagroup.com/

Ramon Hamilton’s IMDB profile:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2077065/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

You can find Think Ten Media Group on twitter here:

http:/twitter.com/ramon_hamilton

http://twitter.com/IndieJenFischer

http://twitter.com/ThinkTenMedia

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

Jamie And Jonathan: An Interview With Kyle C Mumford

I’m very pleased to welcome fellow New Jersey native, filmmaker Kyle C Mumford to the Express. Kyle’s artistic journey through life has seen him wear many hats in the entertainment business. Kyle has extensive experience editing, sound mixing, screenwriting and is the director of several short films. His latest short, “Jamie And Jonathan” is tells the story of a failed writer driving his estranged son to a funeral.

“Jamie And Jonathan” is a drama exploring the meaning of fatherhood but is filled with lots of comedy as well. Kyle and I talk in detail about the how connected and important comedy is to drama. Kyle tells us about his experiences in various positions has helped him become a better director. And he also tells about how he became a screenwriter despite being told in his youth it was impossible because he has dyslexia. Kyle has proven it’s very much not impossible. Enjoy:

Links:

For more on Jamie And Jonathan and how you can contribute to the film:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jamie-and-jonathan-short-film#activity

To see more of Kyle’s work, check out his website:

http://www.kylemumford.com/

Kyle on IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3339053/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

You can find Kyle on twitter here:

https://twitter.com/KyleMumfordFilm

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

Finding Character: An Interview With Simone Bailly

We kick off December with Episode 21 of the HTD Express. Simone Bailly is an actress who’s worked across many genres in television and film. You’ve seen her in recent sci-fi icons like “Stargate: SG-1,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “Smallville.” But she’s also appeared in dramas like “The L-Word” as well as a new independent feature about modern romance “Life Partners” alongside Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) and Gillian Jacobs (Community). This being the digital age, you can rent “Life Partners” on itunes right now but it also opens in theatres this Friday, December 5th, 2014.

Simone has experienced the acting industry in both Vancouver and Los Angeles. She shares with us an actor’s perspective on how to approach character. For screenwriters everywhere, this conversation offers a new angle of looking at your scripts. Simone tells us exactly what goes through the mind of the person who is handed a script and tasked with bringing characters to life. We also talk about the pros and cons of taking risks to stand out from the crowd. There’s a lot of insight in here about how close acting and screenwriting actually are. Enjoy:

“Life Partners” is available here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/life-partners/id927831172

Simone Bailly’s website:

http://simonebailly.com/

Simone Bailly’s facebook fan page:

www.facebook.com/pages/Simone-Bailly-Fan-Page/202595129755687

Simone Bailly on twitter:

twitter.com/SimoneBailly

Simone Bailly on IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1140759/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Simone Bailly is repped by Bright Alliance Media.

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

Hello From South Africa: An Interview With Rizelle Januk

In the most multicultural episode of the Express yet, I’m proud to be joined by actress, model and director Rizelle Januk. Rizelle is of Indian descent and joins us all the way from the nation of South Africa. I didn’t know a whole lot about Indian culture or South Africa so this episode turned out to be a real education for me. And despite the geographical distances Rizelle offers insight that will be useful to anyone on the outside of Hollywood who dreams of getting inside one day.

Rizelle talks about the challenges of chasing her dreams while living in a region that doesn’t have many opportunities. And what opportunities do arise, many casting people don’t know where to fit her because of her mixed heritage. However, Rizelle is not taking “no” for an answer and has created her own opportunities in several international independent films. She also highlights how to use social media for networking and how to capitalize on any kind of break, such as being a finalist for Miss Earth in 2010.

In order to make the time difference work, I had to stay up a bit late and Rizelle had to get up a bit early so please pardon any tiredness you may hear. Overall, this is a great message about following your dreams, no matter what the restrictions. I hope you enjoy…

LINKS:

Rizelle’s Acting Reel Can Be Seen Here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mu2wl539sazlzb2/Rizelle%20Show%20reel.wmv?dl=0

Rizelle has more on her Youtube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/MegaRizelle

The Girl Makes Indie Homepage:

http://girlmakesindiemovie.com/

You can also find Rizelle on Twitter:

@Rizellej

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

Follow Your Bliss: 38 Things I’ve Learned

I turned 38 last week. Like most new ages, it doesn’t feel very different from the previous one. Not at first anyway. But 38, almost 40. Preventing accidents, I’m approaching a theoretical halftime. And many a blogger and writer has made a list of the 38 things they’ve learned in their near 4 decades on the planet Earth. I’ve found many of those lists interesting and informative, so I’m gonna share 38 life lessons. These are not meant to be absolute truths, but after learning some of these the hard way, I can vouch for their authenticity.

Oh and the last one just might be the meaning of life.

1- People who are very successful often talk about gratitude. People who are very unsuccessful often talk about blame.

2- Sometimes you have to take the heat. On the chin, like an adult and live with it.

3- I find weeks to be a better measurement of productivity than days. You will have bad days but those are quickly forgotten about if it’s been a good week.

4- Jealousy is the most misinformed and destructive emotion.

5- Grammar is the artist’s enemy.

6- Achievement forgives most if not all sin.

7- Don’t be mad at the young. One’s age and inexperience are truly things that can only be solved by time, no matter how much older people want them to hurry and grow up already.

8- There were no good old days. Older and previous generations have fucked the world up so much and so many times, they’ve got a lot of balls to tell the next generation how to do things.

9- Equality is a no brainer. Treat those who are different the way you’d like to be treated.

10- No one is waiting to hand you an opportunity. People will help you, but they don’t know who’s worth investing their time in so you have to ask. Be gracious should you receive their help.

11- Embarrassment is a choice.

12- One of my proudest accomplishments has been the elimination of boredom. We all have the sum of human knowledge in our pockets. No one should ever be bored.

13- Telling people to “wake up” is not a great way to get them to open their minds. Not a conversation starter.

14- It’s better to have a pet.

15- Don’t be the person that smells. The marketplace is filled with fragrances and scents. Regular grooming is not too much for society to ask.

16- Apologies, when you think about them, don’t amount to much.

17- The reasons why some people like you are sometimes are the very same reasons other people dislike you. Always listen to the people who like you. People who dislike you are irrelevant to any of your decision making.

18- Be part of the solution, not the problem. Everyone knows and can see what the problems are. Not everyone knows how to offer and implement solutions.

19- If you don’t like how something is being done, you just may have to do it better yourself.

20- Clichéd but true: “Woulda, coulda, shoulda” hold no weight.

21- It’s always better to look forward than back. Nostalgia is nice but it can be a trap. Today’s events are tomorrow’s nostalgia, so enjoy them while they’re here.

22- People making fun of you is not a valid reason to stop doing something.

23- There is such a thing as luck. Especially when it’s accompanied by hard work, perseverance and determination.

24- The response to success and failure is the same: do better. Never stop trying to improve.

25- Old wrestling proverb that’s true: “When everybody looks good, everybody looks good.” Even in a hyper-competitive environment, “Every man for himself” doesn’t do anyone any good.

26- Speaking of looking good: there’s no avoiding that physical attraction plays a part in a successful relationship. But that doesn’t mean said physical attraction is based upon what society defines it as.

27- Spend time with positive people who believe in you. Never spend any time with people who do not contribute to your self-esteem. Avoid at all costs the negative people who don’t want you to take the plunge because they’re afraid to jump.

28- “Why do you feel the need to say that?” is a question that answers itself. Especially for writers. We only feel the need to say things.

29- No one has the right to tell anyone else to “shut up.” No one man’s voice is more important than another’s.

30- “Doctor Who” may be one of the great metaphors for life. If you lined up the 18 year old version, the 25 year old version and the 38 year old version of me, you’d see three distinctly different people, but all the same man. I bet that’d be true for you as well.

31- I’m always stunned when I hear others or myself saying “Things never change.” The world changes radically and drastically all the time. Domestic violence, racial discrimination and even the absence of seatbelts were all once social norms.

32- Many very miserable, unhappy people have a lot of money.

33- People care very much what other people think of them.

34- Talent begets talent. Spending time with people more talented than you will only help make you more talented.

35- There is no justifiable provocation for abuse or cruelty.

36- When in doubt, be kind.

37- Adulthood is a myth. We may be older and wiser in some respects but we’re all just bumbling through, trying not to trip over the furniture and get a grip on our own individual pain.

38- Joseph Campbell is absolutely right. This philosophy, I believe, will solve many, if not all of a person’s uncertainty and stresses about life. Seriously, I can’t even begin to tell you how many of my problems disappeared when I finally understood and lived by this philosophy: “Follow your bliss. If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be. If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn’t have opened for anyone else.”

The Handsome Timmy D Express is proud to be a part of:

The Dan & Travis Show Podcast: An Awesome Thing

http://thedanandtravisshow.libsyn.com/

and

The Chronic Rift: A series of podcasts that attempt to “find the culture in pop culture.”

http://www.chronicrift.com/

Haters Gonna Hate: Trolling The Trolls

The 27 favorites and 13 retweets all came from total strangers. It seems I struck a welcome chord in today’s rough and tumble internet frontier. This was the original post I was replying to:

For the record, I do not know Wil Wheaton. I’ve never met him either through industry connections or at fan conventions. He’s not endorsed me writing this blog and I do not speak for him in anycapacity whatsoever. Unlike VictorWTF, I’m a fan of his work in Star Trek: The Next Generation (arguably the best US Science Fiction show ever) and especially his performance in “Stand By Me”. Mr. Wheaton and I both share a love of the LA Kings and Doctor Who. He’s done a tremendous job reinventing himself on-line and has the reputation of being an easy-going, fun-loving, all-around good guy.

He’s also an adult, a well-seasoned celebrity and certainly doesn’t need me sticking up for him or fighting his battles. But still I had to say something on the twitter because there’s nothing quite as despicable and gutless as anonymous trolling, is there? And considering how folks responded to my tweet and some recent events, I figured this is a good time to investigate the modern phenomenon of anonymous internet bravery.

I’m kind of disappointed that the term troll has evolved to be used beyond the anonymous. I remember (or maybe I misunderstood the term, I’m not 20 anymore) just a year or so ago when the trolls were only the cowards who hid behind aliases and fake photos. Now trolling can be referring to even passing criticism of a celebrity or public figure. I don’t think this is a good thing as I believe the cowards hiding behind keyboards deserve an exclusive epithet and “troll” more than fits.

Of course, irrational criticism of celebrities wasn’t born during the internet age but it seems like our online world has either shone a spotlight onto it or brought a lot of scum rising to the surface. The fine folks at Jimmy Kimmel Live know how to make a joke out of it:

But take a look at some of those twitter handles. Very few use a proper name and who knows if that’s even a real name.

The internet gives voice to the voiceless in many grand ways explored by both symbolic and practical activism. But it also gives voice to the voiceless who have found no other way of expressing themselves productively.

Let me be very clear though, this blog is not meant as an indictment against online criticism. This blog is an indictment of those who criticize without taking responsibility for their words and actions. I like to debate and discuss a wide-range of topics on my twitter account (@handsometimmyd, go on, give a follow if you’re so inclined) but I have one policy: People can disagree with me all they want but anyone using a fake alias and/or doesn’t have a picture of a real person gets only one reply – and that’s usually to tell them they’re blocked.

(Now might be a good time to mention I will employ a similar policy on this blog. Disagreement, vehement or otherwise, is more than welcome in the comment section. Name-calling of myself or others will not be approved by this handsome devil.)

See, it’s hard to argue with someone in your real voice using your real face. That requires the possibility of consequences. It SUCKS being wrong, doesn’t it? No one likes to be wrong, even fewer like to admit it. But it happens to the best of us. I’ve been wrong hundreds of times (back in 2002, I thought the Iraq War was a good idea until the WMDs were evidently not in existence. I’ve gotten numerous technical details wrong. I’ve had to admit when I’ve written the wrong thing in a script or produced an episode of TV in the wrong direction. In 1996, I even thought the internet would be a fad soon to tire out. Yup, I was wrong about all that shit.) The sun still rises and sets of course. As much as it sucks to be wrong about stuff, it’s simply part of the human experience, much like failure that I’ve written about before. But there’s something refreshing about writing about all that stuff openly – I can say (hell, I just put it in writing) that I’m man enough to admit that I’ve been wrong and not only that, learned quite a lot from those and other experiences of being “wrong.”

It’s funny but the older I get, which is each passing minute, the more I can admit I don’t know – and ironically, that makes me feel a lot smarter.

So everyone hates to be wrong. If there’s anyone out there who likes it, I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting them. But there’s more to it than that. Hiding behind a keyboard and alias not only hides you from consequence – it hides you from hurt. Maybe Victorhcj reveals everything about himself in his profile somewhere. I don’t know but I doubt it. Because when you hide behind an alias you can say “YOU SUCK” all day long at people – and no one can say “YOU SUCK” back at you, not really.

Attacking people like this is engaging in a kind of modern day duel. But it’s a duel that goes only one way. The target gets all the rocks thrown at them, but the rocks that are thrown back are sent to the alias – not the true identity of the attacker. That person can go about their day, feeling like they’ve accomplished something or giving themselves a false sense of superiority because they took it upon themselves to act like some of kind of digital Grover Norquist, thinking they speak for the rest of us. In the example above, VictorPussyface speaks for “a significant amount of people” who hate Wil Wheaton because “he sucks.” Whatever scientific method he used to take this survey and the exact statistical results of said survey, he elected not to post.

“But Tim, you’re calling Victor names and I may have seen you tweet John Boehner calling him an asshole once or twice. Isn’t that hypocritical of you? What’s the difference?” I don’t think it’s hypocritical at all. You see, I’m not hiding. I’m Tim Davis. My resume is available online at imdb and linkedin. I appear regularly on a podcast. My personal email is easy to find and my phone number is on my calling card which is all over town.

I got into a very fierce debate with John Cusack on twitter last year about the Edward Snowden gambit. I didn’t troll him. I didn’t name-call him. We just debated several points and I didn’t hide behind any alias. He was debating with Tim Davis. He knows my name & he knows my face. I wasn’t some weird troll with a weirder name or a stupid picture. In fact, I’m guessing Mr. Cusack engaged me in debate for so long BECAUSE I didn’t hide behind keyboard courage. God knows, celebrities hear from countless nameless trolls every day, and as much as he disagreed with me, I wouldn’t be surprised if I got a hearty handshake from him one day over the whole affair.

And it’s not just celebrities. I’m going to share three cases of anonymous trolling in my life. They were some parts hurtful, borderline frightening and all equally pathetic.

The first occurred when I was in High School. I was pranked called regularly by someone who instilled a fair amount of verbal abuse toward me. They always used a different name when calling but never their real one. It being small-town New Jersey, it wasn’t hard to figure out who it was. I could tell you his name but it wouldn’t mean anything to you. His main purpose was trying to goad me into a meeting or confrontation. He told me to meet him at several points at certain times. I took him up on none of these rendezvous figuring that physical harm was on the agenda and who needs that? We came close to calling the police but after hanging up on him so many times, he got bored and moved on to God knows what. I don’t know where he is or what he’s up to. And I don’t care.

The second occurred in 2004. Remember Friendster? Well, I was new to LA and someone set up a dummy account for the sole purpose of sending me one email. The account was called “Cheez Whiz” and I doubt that appears on any birth certificate. And there was no profile picture. The gist of the email? I was unwelcome in LA amongst my group of friends. No one in LA liked me and also that despite my best efforts, I was ugly and bald. This letter came at a particularly low period of time. I was recently in a car accident and going through a very tough transition at work. I hate to admit it, but this letter threw me for a loop. I asked several of my friends what they thought of it and was given many numerous assurances that yes, I was indeed welcome in LA and that whoever sent the letter was the real asshole. Really didn’t take that much to eventually figure out who it was that wrote that one either. I’ve never confronted the person for 2 reasons 1) Deference to mutual friends. I don’t want people to worry about inviting both of us to a party in case of drama 2) Is there really any point? More on that later.

And you know what’s even more ironic, I was put in a position a few times to help this person out – and I did. You know why? Because I’m not the person they think I am – I’m a lot better person than they think I am.

The third instance I’m going to tell you about came up because of this blog. Yup, I got my first piece of hate mail on my piece about guns “Just Another Day In America.” It was from a dummy account under the name “Ed.” No picture, of course. This person had this to say – and this is the one and only time I will allow abusive comments like this on the blog and it’s simply for context:

Knew this POS trust fund baby when he lived in Boston. Arrogant beyond belief. Especially for a guy with hair grown nearly down to the small of his back in order to compensate for his advanced male pattern baldness. (FYI: Everyone laughed about it behind your back.) So nice to know that back in those days you were screaming into your laundry basket when you weren’t being a condescending prick to anyone who wasn’t a woman, a racial minority, a homosexual, or uglier than you. Btw, how’s your talk show that you used to tell everyone you’d have?

I find the last part weird because the talk show I told everyone about was the podcast I’m part of now. The Dan & Travis Show. It’s awesome. Check it out. We did it in 2002 during the infancy of internet radio and we restarted it last year. And it was very easy to find via google, so Ed can’t even do simple homework (always important when throwing stones).

(Side-note about the hairline thing: It’s low and crude to attack someone for something they have little-to-no control over. Ed, like Cheez-Whiz, sound like that goofy thug in “Roxanne” saying “big nose” because I can come with 20 better jokes off the top of my head easy.)

Ed here decided to attack me opening up about personal pain here. Well, I’m a writer. Every writer will have to be honest with themselves and write about their personal pain for all the world to see. If he thinks this is detracting me from doing more opening up about personal pain, I have disappointing news for him. In fact, I have A LOT of disappointing news for him in a bit.

So, you may be asking yourself – well shit, Tim, did you deserve this? Ed from Boston says you were arrogant beyond belief. Were you arrogant? Were you an asshole? Were you some kind of prick? Did you say things that hurt people’s feelings? Did you offend people, however accidentally?

Of course, I did. I’m plenty guilty of things like that. Like being wrong, it’s part of the human experience. Anyone NOT full of piss & vinegar in their 20’s? (And if you weren’t, MAN did you miss out.) Am I arrogant? I think my confidence has slid to the arrogant/egotistic side at times. Sure, I’ll cop to that. There’s always room for lessons in humility. Am I an asshole? Well, of course there have been many situations and conversations I wish I handled better but that’s certainly not unique to me. We’ve all had those. There are plenty of people in this world who don’t like me. But here’s the interesting thing: many of the reasons some people don’t like me are the very reasons other people like me. So what in the world did I do to make these people so upset that they had to sum up all of their false internet bravery to anonymously try to hurt my feelings.

Because trolling has one purpose and one purpose only: to hurt people.

Besides, any betterment I’ve received as a person has been face to face from real friends – not unsigned letters from gutless trolls.

Like I said, I know who two of these people are (sorry, “Ed’, for the life of me, I have no clue who you are). And when I looked at their lives then looked at mine, I realized what I had done. I wasn’t being trolled because I was an asshole sometimes. I was being trolled from the very opposite reason. Here’s my great sin:

I’m a happy and successful person.

(Yeah, OK, I’m a lot more outspoken and opinionated than some others which will of course lead to being targeted more – though I’m not sure how that justifies being trolled. Especially because I am an easy to find open book who is more than happy to talk about anything.)

But when I look at the totality of my life and accomplishments, I can see what makes these sad people so angry:

-My closest friends are truly golden human beings anyone reading this would be glad to know. I can’t begin to describe my luck when I think of the people I’m closest with.

-I’m in a healthy, long-term relationship with a successful, intelligent and beautiful woman with no low standards. (It doesn’t hurt that I can cook too)

-I have 614 Facebook friends & believe it or not, I’m selective. If I can’t see myself having lunch with you, I’m not approving the friend request.

-I have worked alongside, learned from and been instructional to some of the most talented people in my chosen profession. My services have been requested by some of the best crews in Los Angeles. My skills as a writer have been endorsed by movie producers, film festivals and other more-acclaimed writers. That is not only an honor, it’s a privilege.

-I have close to 800 twitter followers, not always folks I know but many acquired through networking as I transition from reality to scripted.

-I’m also blessed and fortunate to be able to say that I have friends and family who would put me up in the following cities; Seattle, Phoenix, Boston, Salem, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Houston, Chicago, Orlando, Gibbsboro, Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco, and London. I know this because they’ve told me “You have to visit us.”

-I say none of this with any kind of arrogance. It may literally be impossible for me to truly express the gratitude I feel for the life I’m living. And the same can be said for so many of the people I choose to spend my precious time with. People who worked hard and smart to live the lives they want on the paths they’ve chosen.

-I’ve been successful in every profession I’ve endeavored on, from being promoted to the corporate office at City Sports to writing copy for Stone Cold Steve Austin. I smile as I go about my day. I dance in the shower. I sing in the car. When I set out into the world, I know that I’m in my own small way, helping. I’ve followed my bliss. Just like Wil Wheaton. Just like countless other celebrities. Just like countless other successful people who are not famous but are living happy lives as I type this. Just like anyone who looks in the mirror and likes what they see.

And THAT’S what the trolls can’t stand. When others are happy – and they’re not. So instead of following their own bliss or doing what they can to make themselves either happier or at least on the way to happiness, it’s easier to try to tear down others. Especially from behind an internet shield where they can hide their plentiful vulnerabilities, insecurities and hurts.

Because underneath every angry, hateful line a troll is writing, is one underlying thought:

“How dare you try to be happy when I’m not?”

For my past sins, anyone whom I owe an apology to has gotten it. I will, however, never ever under any circumstances apologize for being successful or trying to be happy. No one should ever apologize for that.

Because to take to a nameless, faceless identity to attack someone, God almighty. That’s a bit more than just an asshole move. It’s not merely pathetic or weak or gutless or petty.

It’s sick.

To be so consumed by hatred and anger and jealousy – whatever world these guys and other anonymous internet keyboard haters inhabit is a frightening and sad place. I hope you, dear reader, and I never end up there.

So, Ed, Cheez-Whiz and every other internet troll hiding behind a keyboard: YES, I dare to be happy. And I will continue to be happy. I will continue to endeavor and bust my ass every day to further my career. I will continue to improve my writing skills. I will continue to try to be a better, more generous, more thoughtful, more considerate person. I will continue to blog my thoughts and opinions under my real name Tim Davis (and my wrestling-bump earned nickname of Handsome Timmy D) for the world to see, read, enjoy and disagree with.

Over the past 15 years, I can think of about 6 or 7 people whom I truly despise. A handful of folks whom I find irredeemable in any way, folks whom I can say I truly HATE. I think about them sometimes, my blood boils for a few minutes – and then I move on with my day. I do my best to keep them in the rearview because that’s how I handle people I hate. I have nothing to do with them. No contact whatsoever, via social media or otherwise (again apart from mutual politeness for the benefit of our friends). They become non-issues in my life aside from what the memory triggers.

I want to have a happy, successful and productive life. I want to laugh and be giddy and over the top and goofy and silly and dance like there’s no tomorrow. And no matter how bad a day, no matter how stressed or overwhelmed I get, no matter who vehemently I argue my points – I just don’t ever want to live a life where I hurt people.

I hadn’t thought of the prank caller in years, Cheez-Whiz I still see now and then but Ed’s hateful email brought them to the surface. But return to the rearview they will where I’m sure they’ll be joined by more future anonymous trolls.

However, Ed did me an accidental favor. I went onto social media outlets announcing that this dear old blog had received its first piece of hate mail. The result? The traffic on the blog Skyrocketed to see what the hubbub was about:

Funny, but it looks like a middle finger right at Ed, doesn’t it? It was my most read day and almost served as a kind of coming out party for me as I’m restarting this blog and am still building my readership. And that’s how I have to take that hate-mail just like how people should take every bit of anonymous trolling: Just another sign of success.

Epilogue:

When you leave a comment on here, you have to give an email so with Ed’s trolling was an email address. I don’t know if it was his real email address or not. I wasn’t going to reply because it’s best not to fight on their terms, but because my traffic exploded, I couldn’t resist. Just in case he hijacked someone else’s email, I hid the real name I found when I researched it. But here’s the email I sent to him. To the surprise of no one, there’s been no reply.

After all, there’s bravery quite like anonymous internet bravery:

Hello Ed or (name excised),

You gave the name Ed to wordpress but when I researched your email, I found the name “(excised)”. If you are neither of these people, then your email has been hijacked or erroneously used & I apologize for bothering you on this lovely Saturday.

If I am addressing the person who commented on my blog, though, I must first Thank You Very Much for your interest and comments. However, I have a policy of not allowing name-calling in the comments sections so I’m afraid I couldn’t approve your comment.

I must Thank You again though because when I publicized your comment as my first piece of hate-mail (you must admit, it was on the hateful side) the traffic to my blog DOUBLED in an hour. Today has been my highest traffic/read day so far so Thanks to your comment, you’ve been able to contribute to my growing digital popularity. I’m new at this blogging thing so I appreciate all the help I can get.

I have to correct you on one small detail, I am not associated with nor ever have been associated with any trust funds. I earned every dollar I ever got, whether in retail or over the past 10 years as a Television Producer in which I contributed to shows which have entertained millions of people around the world.

You claim to know me well, but for the life of me, I cannot remember you who are. (No Eds or xx ring a bell, xx or otherwise) Sorry, but try as I might, I’ve not lived in Boston or on the East Coast for over 12 years so forgive me for not recalling you out of the hundreds of people I knew & worked with during those years.

I wish you all the best – and quite frankly, hope you find some peace in the world instead of anonymously attacking people you haven’t seen in over a decade. Take Care.

May The Best Days Be Ahead… —————

Tim Davis
Writer/Producer
handsometimmyd.wordpress.com

The Handsome Timmy D Express

Tales from the creative life.

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