Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are=&0=&book of essays, Self-Inflicted Wounds is heading for TV as a half hour comedy via CBS Television Studios, and – good news fellow strivers – the search is on for a writer or writers to do the adaptation. (In other words, get your agent on the phone NOW funny people! Or, better yet, tell your agent to get in touch with Yer Friendly Neighborhood munchman and give me a much-needed boost.)
Paul Ackerman (THE AMERICANS) is adapting his Tony winning play, Things You Shouldn’t Say Past Midnight into a comedy series for Direct TV, which has already ordered ten episodes. (Actually, this is a good thing for those of us amongst the Great Writing Unemployed because it shows that DTV is now open for comedy proposals. So if you didn’t call your agent after reading the last item, the time to punch in her numero has re-arrived. Hmm. Is that a word? It should be.)
Matthew and Daniel Libman (HAPPY ENDINGS) are writing the comedy pilot DUTY for Comedy Central cuz…it’s a comedy, you know? (Bastards! It’s not like they need the gig. No way their hefty savings from HAPPY ENDINGS are already gone. Unlike the savings of a certain muncher with whom I’m very close who is thisclose to being homeless. Sigh.)
Category: News
munchman’s choice: “A push for more N.Y. ‘writers’ rooms'”
Welcome back for Day 2 of munchman Weekend. Are we having fun yet? Nevermind. Of course we are. And it continues with:
And now for some overlooked news of great relevance to writers living in New York who want to work in TV but don’t want to make the necessary step of moving to L.A. Some idiot’s actually trying to make your wrong-headed, totally ignorant non-move possible:
by Nicole Levy
When CBS bought the pilot she’d deliberately set in New York, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen had to negotiate with the network to staff the production in the city.
munchman: Some Late Summer TV Schedule Announcements
by munchman
Actually, they’re late coming from TVWriter™. We got the info awhile ago but…other stuff got in the way. Other stuff always gets in the way, which is probably why yer ever-lovin’ mud-eyed munchman isn’t doing as well as I should be.
Where was I? Oh, right. Summer TV shows:
ABC Summer 2014 Schedule
Thursday, April 24
10-11 p.m. Black Box (new series premiere)
Is “Entertainment Weekly” Screwing Writers?
This article in Salon sure makes it sound like they are:
by Daniel D’Addario
Entertainment Weekly, the venerable consumer-friendly magazine about movies and TV and the like, is under the same crunch as the rest of the media industry; its parent company, Time Inc., has recently gone through a series of layoffs. But the manner in which the magazine is attempting to build out its brand is the absolute worst-case scenario — bad for authors and for readers.
Lucia Moses at Digiday reports that Entertainment Weekly is to launch an online “contributor network” that is to feature readers as writers, particularly on “TV and eventually other areas […] staff reporters don’t cover deeply.” In other words, anyone can now write for Entertainment Weekly, but they shouldn’t expect a check. Per Digiday:
Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 4/3/14
Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are=&0=& (LAYER CAKE ?WTF?) is adapting Wilbur Smith’s novel Birds of Prey into a series scheduled for the UK. (So we know it has to be good. After all…it’s going to be British. Woo hoo!)
David Benioff & Dan Weiss (GAME OF THRONES) have signed on for two more seasons on the show. (Which is great news cuz munch me would much rather hang with those guys than with THRONES creator George R.R. Martin. Can you imagine GRRM as your wingman? Didn’t think so.)
Carol Leifer (SEINFELD) has a memoir – Lessons from a Life in Comedy – coming out April 8th. (The way we hear it, said tome is loaded with life and showbiz lessons. Which should be interesting since the two have absolutely nothing to do with one another. Wait, was that mean? As mean as what I said about His Wonderfulness, George Martin? Cool! Thanks!)