This one hits the bullseye. About showbiz. The human condition. And as an example of the art of indie animated film making:
https://vimeo.com/105847954
Month: September 2014
Viacom Agrees To Breakthrough Deal To Provide Channels To Sony’s Online Pay TV Service
Another death blow to the trad TV paradigm. How long can the mortally injured giant keep tottering before it falls? (Oh, c’mon, you don’t really hate that metaphor, do you? Do you?) Give a big hello to Internet Pay TV!
by David Lieberman
This is a big advance for Sony’s plan to offer pay TV channels via the Internet by the end of this year, which it announced in January. Viacom’s agreement to offer its 22 channels outside of cable and satellite is its “first-ever agreement to provide its networks for an Internet-based live TV and video on demand service,” it says this morning. In addition to popular services including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon — all in HD — Sony will be able to offer customers access to Viacom’s TV Everywhere websites and apps as well as its full VOD package. The companies didn’t disclose financial terms, although I suspect Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman will face some questions about this later today when he appears at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference in NYC.
“Viacom always strives to create transformational opportunities that combine consumer value and technological innovation,” Dauman says. “Given our young, tech-savvy audiences, our networks are essential for any new distribution platform, and we’re excited to be among the many programmers that will help power Sony’s new service and advance a new era for television.”
Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 9/16/14
Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
by munchman
- Mike Lisbe & Nate Reger (HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN) have sold THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY, a comedy in the tradition of FRIENDS, to NBC. (So if you always wanted to write for FRIENDS, it’s time now to dust off your old specs and your kneepads to prostrate yourself before the NBC powers that be. I know that I am cuz it’s about time el munchero sold out, don’tcha think?)
- John Glenn (EAGLE EYE) is developing an NBC drama series called THE POSSESSION OF MAGGIE GILL about, you know, weird shit involving a teenage girl not unlike the one we all remember so fondly from THE EXORCIST. (Hands in the air now. Who thinks this will go to a shot pilot? Who thinks this will make the schedule? Who thinks it’ll last longer than 6 episodes? If you raised your hand for any of the above, I’ve got a bet to make with you cuz gambling is better, ethically, than selling out, don’tcha know?)
- Greg Mottola (who may or may not be related to Tommy cuz how many Mottolas do you think there are running around LA?) is adapting Conn & Hal Iggulden‘s comic guidebook THE DANGEROUS BOOK FOR BOYS for a comedy series at, yet again, NBC. (I’d love to have a snark or two about this project, but since I’ve never heard of anybody involved, nor the source material, all I can do is put my head in my hands and mumble, “Why? Why? Why?” Which means that I’d love to hear from anybody who knows more about this project than yer friendly neighborhood, oh, you know.
- Ted Gold is the new dude in charge of scripted series programming over at Spike. (And although I don’t know him, I’m going to google up on the guy and then give his office and say I do. A little creative mutual history can go a long way in this town. Who else is up for playing this game?
That’s it for now. Write in and tell munchilito what you’ve sold today. TVWriter™ can’t wait to brag to all your friends. (And, more importantly, enemies. Hehehe….)
Peggy Bechko: 4 Great Tips on Writing to the Magic
by Peggy Bechko
Writers, at least fiction writers, pretty much live in a world of make-believe. We live in worlds of our own creation and in that living attempt to make those worlds real to everyone else; readers, listeners, watchers.
But it’s not as simple as sitting around spinning tales. Don’t we wish. There’s a whole lot that goes into writing a story and one aspect of that is research. No you can’t skip it.
Getting facts straight brings believability. If your setting is in the 1920’s Chicago you better know what you’re talking about to get the mood set and not flush readers and watchers right out of their ‘suspension of disbelief’ mode. Yes that goes for Sci Fi and Fantasy as well – get some facts in there that will make your ‘way out of our experience’ world more real. If you trim unreality with reality you bring belief and immersion.
LB: R.I.P. Theodore J. Flicker, Provocateur Creator of BARNEY MILLER
(EDITED 9/1914 TO REMOVE ERRORS of fact for which TVWriter™ apologizes.)
Ted Flicker, known primarily as the creator of the classic ’70s TV series BARNEY MILLER and the writer-director of the cult classic comedy film from the same era, THE PRESIDENT’S ANALYST, died a couple of nights ago at his home in Santa Fe.