How J.J. Abrams And Damon Lindelof Tricked ABC Into Putting LOST on the Air

Not a joke! Not a parody! Not an imaginary post! The following is a fascinating tale of treachery and deceit in the TV trenches. Cuz getting a series on the air is guerilla fighting at its most intense. (Well, without the bullets.) It’s read and learn time, gang, so…well, um, you know, read and learn:

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by Dariel Figueroa

Lost was a television show that explored the human condition through charged notions: good vs evil, nature vs nurture, free will vs predetermined destiny, the philosophy of mortality and the redemptive nature of man. The ABC show used devices such as mysticism, scientific exploration, and religion — all permeated by an overwhelming sense of survival — to get there. read article

Herbie J Pilato: Laughter in the Rain, man. You gotta’ have both.

Whoa - Batman smiling could be the scariest thing TVWriter™ has ever seen
Whoa – Batman smiling could be the scariest thing TVWriter™ has ever seen

by Herbie J Pilato

Don’t you dare smile.

Not if you’re a superhero in any feature film related to the Justice League franchise with Warner Bros. and DC Comics.

In other words: No laughter. read article

WGAWest October 2014 Calendar of Events

Cuz this is the organization we all want to be in. Talking pro stuff here (as all the pros who come to TVWriter™ well know):

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Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 10/3/14

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Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
by munchman

  • Judd Apatow (KNOCKED UP) & Lesley Arfin (BROOKLYN 99) & Paul Rust (ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT) are writing a Netflix comedy series following a young woman and young man “as they deal with the best and worst of relationships.” (Mixed feelings here from yer friendly neighborhood muncharooni. The good: The Juddman’s TV work has always been funny as hell and, at the same time realistic. The bad: His recent film comedies have all seemed to be about beings that appear human but live and react like no real people any other real people have ever known or seen. Will Leslie and Paul save this series? Gotta admit – I’m rooting for it.)
  • Stephnie Weir (THE MILLERS) is writing the proverbial “untitled half-hour project” for ABC about funny stuff happening at a bank. (Speaking of something not being real! Have you ever had one moment of fun at your local bank? Even when I’m putting my very own money into their hot little hands the squids behind the windows at my most convenient bank branch do their best to make it not convenient at all. Was that a rant? Sorry. We return now to stories of wonderful success:)
  • Jason Blum (described as a “horror master” but hell, my life is the biggest horror of all and I’ve never even heard of the dude) is developing an untitled horror series for NBC that the network’s PR describes as “in the vein of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. (Uh, that would be, as the release intimates, cuz it’ll be an anthology without continuing characters, not necessarily cuz it’ll be good. Just sayin’.)
  • Jimmy Kimmel (yeppers, that Jimmy Kimmel) is writing yet another untitled pilot script, this one a comedy for ABC about “a once massively popular VJ who…is forced to move back in with his parents and take a job as hot of a local radio ‘morning zoo.'” (Now this one sounds funny and is actually based on the life of Mr. Kimmel’s good buddy Carson Daly, whom I personally happen to know and therefore will be able to call and ask for a job if this gets picked up, which means today’s luv and $$$ has – potentially at least – a very happy ending for, you know, moi. Yes!

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….)

Dennis O’Neil on Alternate Earths

One of the top writer-editors in comics gives us some sound writing advice. And by us we mean that this is valid for TV writers working on just about every science fiction series on our tubes cuz sometimes it seems like none of them can wait to go parallel universing around and mess with viewers’ minds:

Supermanby Dennis O’Neil

Good news! The angel Fettucini has just delivered a Message From On High: from this moment on, all politicians must be free of greed and egotism and be motivated solely by the desire for good governance and love of heir fellow man.

The, uh, bad news is that the above is true only on Earth 4072, which, of course, exists only in an alternate universe. These things are relative. To the inhabitants of Earth 4072, the news is not bad. read article