Category: Opinion

Cara Winter: Anglo Files 10

idris-elba

On Bond
by Cara Winter

When the Sony hack revealed that Idris Elba was being bandied around to take on the role of James Bond… first I screamed, “They stole my idea!”  …and then (naturally) I realized that this is just a good idea, an idea whose time has come.  And Elba happens to be the right actor at the right time, with the right emotional, physical and psychological makeup to play the role.   (So… Sony, if you’re downloading my thoughts, which it appears you are… download my inner “Bravo!”  and continue to run with it…)

After I read this very cool (if, ah-hem, obtained illegally) “news”, I started wondering what the “reaction” from “ordinary people” would be, on the internet.  Overwhelmingly, from what I’ve read, people are enthusiastic.  People are psyched.  They are totally ready for a black James Bond. read article

The Most Important People Working in TV

…And this list contains more than one token writer. In fact, writers comprise just about half of those!

Is the dawning of a new era? Mmm….

14-most-important-peopleby Tyler Coates

It was an incredible year for television, with an amazing array of performers, writers, producers and directors stepping up to deliver immaculately crafted series that were thought provoking, intensely affecting, and downright hilarious. Behind every great show there’s a few impressively talented people, and here we take a look at some of the most important people who made 2014 such an stand-out year for TV. read article

Best TV of 2014: No 1 – Happy Valley

Time now for one of those “Best TV of…” things. Except that instead of doing it ourselves – because, in the spirit of everybody’s favorite Jor-El, Marlon Brando, we aren’t into the competition thing and don’t believe it’s right to pit shows against show – we’re going to let one of the world’s best news sites do it for us. Take it away, “The Guardian.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: “The Guardian” is a UK newspaper, so you may not know the shows being discussed. Yeah, we did this deliberately, so we could have our ethics and obey LB’s “I want a best of!” instruction too. Sneaky SOBs, ain’t we?

Happy Valleyby Mark Lawson

If, in January of this year [2014], you had surveyed viewers of British television for their top 10 irritations, a strong contender for the No 1 spot would have been the proliferation of police fiction in the schedules. But Sally Wainwright’s Happy Valley – closely followed by Jed Mercurio’s Line of Duty – soon proved that the form you choose to work in is less important than the form the workers are in. read article

Follower or Vanguard: as new writers do we dare rock the boat?”

Giant panda Mei Xiang takes a nap

by Diana Black

Male Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are lousy at sex. Their low libido and lack of interest even when engaged in procreation, coupled with habitat loss, is causing a steady decline in the population. However, all Panda males being equally lack-luster in the bedroom, so no individual Panda male has an advantage over the others and the Panda gene pool is ‘safe’ and the species survives.

What about the gene pool called ‘Hollywood’? How might it look from the outside looking in? Hollywood is perceived by most aspiring screenwriters, actors and filmmakers to be an ‘exclusive restaurant’ securely contained behind thick plate-glass with very few doors, which can only be opened by a gate-keeper or someone who already has a seat at the table. If an aspirant doesn’t know someone of either category then they’re effectively screwed.

Those on the inside, attempting to manifest an air of superiority and exclusiveness, maintain the restaurant is ‘fully-booked’; leaving the hungry aspirants outside, goggling with their noses pressed up against the glass for perhaps weeks, months; even years. read article

Troy DeVolld: Toughing Out Those Dry Spells

reality troy logo

by Troy DeVolld

Woke up this morning feeling great.  I’ve got a game show in play and some EP possibilities on the horizon after a pretty tough stretch, which inspired me to write the following post to Facebook this morning.

Remember, the entertainment business is no cake walk. read article