Month: September 2014

How I’m using my writing gig on TRANSPARENT to make sure the T in LGBT isn’t edited out of tv

TV series writers can have a huge effect on not only their shows but also our culture. But it takes courage. You’ve got to take a stand:

shot-from-transparent1

by Ali Liebegott

I was born in 1971, and came of age watching soap operas. This was pre-internet, before gay marriage was even a thought, when homosexuality was still a mental disorder in the DSM. When I remember back, the only images I can recall of LGBT people on TV involved people who were white and showed up only to hang themselves, or be runaway hustlers, or die slowly of AIDS, with their mothers crying at their bedside and their fathers brooding silently in hospital hallways.

I’ve been writing and publishing for over 25 years and many moons ago I bitterly “accepted” I’d never make a living solely as a writer. I hadn’t even made one-hundredth of my living as a writer, yet I trudged on with my little stories, all but sewing them into booklets in my bedroom a la Emily Dickinson. read article

14 Showrunners Reveal How They Named Their New for 2014 Series

Okay, so maybe this isn’t as exciting as yesterday’s foray into how these new shows were pitched. But it’s just as important. Maybe even more:

by Lesley Goldberg & Bryn Elise Sandberg

HARG2927Another year, another batch of potential breakouts looking to lure the mix of viewers and buzz that NBC’s The Blacklistgenerated a season earlier. Garnering early attention among the 2014-15 season’s two dozen new offerings is theShonda Rhimes-producedHow to Get Away With Murder(ABC), telenovela Jane the Virgin (The CW) and genre plays Gotham (Fox) and The Flash (The CW).

There are recognizable works — comic adaptations, romantic comedies and, in the case of ABC, diversity — and a new cadre of film stars, led by Viola Davis (Murder) and OctaviaSpencer (Red Band Society) making the leap to TV. “I’ve never been the show before and with this, I wasthe show … what was there to refuse?” Davis says of TV’s appeal. read article

Thai Leader Threatens TV Soap Opera Takeover

And we thought TV execs were too hands on! The following article just might prompt a re-think in any plans you have for writing in Thailand. (But then again, a gig’s a gig, so…):

by Scott Neuman

Thailand’s coup leader turned prime minister is not happy with the daily fare of infidelity and violence that is a staple of the country’s television soap operas — and he’s prepared to351774646 write the scripts himself if that’s what it takes.

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief who staged a coup in May against the elected government, says he wants scripts that encourage harmony in society. read article

Peggy Bechko: Trippin’ Out

cord-cutting-cable

by Peggy Bechko

So, when you’re a freelance writer, and making your living that way, maybe not yet top of the heap, how do you plan for a vacation (which believe me you’re going to dearly need)?

Like me, I’m about to head off to Las Vegas with my husband to celebrate our anniversary.

You just go, right? Nobody to tell you you can’t. No boss, no nine to five, no restrictions on your time. It’s okay, pack your bags! read article

Brannon Braga’s Hometown Paper Gives the Man His Due

Gonna go way out on a limb here and say that Brannon’s high school buds are probably totally creaming from his. Or, you know, not:

 Brannon Braga: Canton’s own TV guru
by Dan Kane

Brannon Braga, who’s had enduring success as a television-series creator, writer, executive producer and director, spent a chunk of his formative years right here in Canton, AR-140929594graduating from McKinley High School in 1983.

Next weekend, he’ll be heading back to town for the Canton Film Festival. On Oct. 4 at 6 p.m., Braga will participate in a Q&A onstage at the Palace Theatre, following the 5 p.m. screening of an episode from his recent series “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.” Admission is $5. read article