Month: January 2015

“wax on wax off” (Lessons learned in the entertainment industry…on accident)

Chapter 1
by Carl Charroux

Carl_Charroux
In case you can’t tell, Carl’s day job is as an actor. Some guys have all the luck, right?

In the 1984 movie The Karate Kid”, Pat Morita was supposed to be teaching Ralph. Macchio karate, but all summer the karate master had the kid doing chores- painting stuff, waxing the car, etc. These tasks were secretly teaching the “Kid” karate moves, and when his lessons actually began, he found them relatively easy.

I’m going to share some of my “wax on wax off” moments I’ve had over the years with you in a series of articles.

Remember, there is NO one way to achieve your goals in this business, I don’t pretend to know how to get it done. I’m just sharing some of my experiences that hopefully you can relate to. read article

Has ARCHER lost its way?

And, if so, how? Why? Who’s to blame?

Hmm, considering that this is an animated series and nobody’s complaining about its technical expertise, meaning that its look and sound are still just as good or bad as they’ve ever been, we’d say it’s the writers who need to man up to the blame or take credit for the wonderfulness of their creation. Let’s see what Vox, one of the most critical sites on the interwebs when it comes to TV, has to say on the matter:

archerpicby Todd VenDerWerff

Archer launched its sixth season on FX … with an episode about a Japanese soldier still fighting World War II and a once-destroyed office that was reconstructed exactly as it had been. read article

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 1/22/15

TOSHIBA Exif JPEGLatest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
by munchman

  • Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) is writing the pilot for Park Row, a drama series about “the newspaper circulation wars between publishing titans Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst” in the late 1800s. The announcement makes no mention of what network or cable entity this will appear on. (Cuz “newspaper circulation wars?” “Late 1800s? What idiot executive – excuse the tautology – is going to commit to something like that? Oh wait – all of them probably. Meh.)
  • David DiGilio (Crossbones) is developing a martial arts series called Warrior for NBC. (They call it a “drama,” but yer cute little munchikins has to admit that I’ve never seen any show or movie in martial arts that even remotely resembled a genuine drama. But maybe that’s just me?)
  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who old-timers might recall as some kind of basketball hero and modern TV viewers may recognize from appearances on New Girl, is co-writing a novel about Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s bro, with Anna Waterhouse (On the Shoulders of Giants). (I have absolutely no idea what Kareem is bringing to the table here except his obsolete name but am certain that one way or another he’ll make a – wait for it – slam dunk. No? Not worth waiting for? Sorreeee!)

That’s it for now, munchaladas. Don’t forget to write in and tell yers truly what you’ve sold when you sell it. Cuz TVWriter™ can’t wait to brag to all your friends. (And, more importantly, enemies. Hehehe….)

Kelly Jo Brick: The Write Path With Laurie Scheer Part 2

A series of interviews with hard working writers – by another hard-working writer!

IMG_3409

Aspiring writers often wonder how industry pros got where they are. The truth is, everyone’s story is different, but there are some common elements: dedication, persistence and hard work.

Today we continue our visit with Laurie Scheer, a former VP of Programming for WE: Women’s Entertainment. She has worked as an assistant, d-girl, and producer for ABC, Viacom, Showtime, and AMC-Cablevision. Laurie has been an instructor at universities across the U.S. from UCLA to Yale and is currently part of the faculty at UW-Madison’s Continuing Studies Writing Department. As an advocate for writers, Laurie shares insights from her years of working with both professional and aspiring writers. read article

A Look Inside the EMPIRE Writers Room

Time now for a peek into what is reputedly the most diverse writers room in the WGAw.

Does that mean all different levels of talent are represented? Or it referring to something real?

Check it out: read article