Category: Opinion

Hollywood isn’t the “Dream Factory.” You are

Holy crap, it's Robert Gregory Browne!
Holy moley, it’s Robert Gregory Browne!

by Robert Gregory Browne

I had my big writing break almost ten years ago. I had just finished writing my first book, Kiss Her Goodbye, and because I had been a screenwriter in a former life, my Hollywood agent was able to hook me up with an agent in New York. So I had an advantage at the start that a lot of aspiring novelists only dream of.

Kiss Her Goodbye-sThe agent in NY loved the book, took it around to his favorite editors and within a few weeks I had a two-book deal at St. Martin’s Press.

Now, without trying to sound like the egomaniac I am, I like to think I’m a pretty damn good writer. And if that book hadn’t sold at that time, I’m pretty sure I would have kept writing, but it wouldn’t have been with the same fire. I would have been thinking, what the hell is wrong? Why didn’t they buy my book? That lack of validation by the industry I yearned to be part of would have crushed me. read article

Cara Winter: The Anglo Files 7

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THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW
(or, Anything Goes)
by Cara Winter

If you’ve never seen the UK talk show The Graham Norton Show – shame on you, seriously.   It’s on BBC America here in the states, clips (even whole shows) widely available on YouTube, so it’s not like you even have a decent excuse!  Even if you’re living under a rock, on top of a mountain, or in a shoe, certainly someone you know either has basic cable or the Interwebs.   Jesus.  It’s like you can’t be trusted to do anything!   

The Graham Norton Show is a talk show, yes, and Graham Norton is the host.  He wears a suit, he has celebrity guests and a studio audience, the whole bit.  In that sense, it’s very traditional.  But…the suit is pretty much a smokescreen, cause there are no rules, there is no professionalism, no amicable host prepared to jump in and save the show.   You’re out on a limb.  And best of all, around Norton… no one is safe. read article

Old TV, Interweb TV, and…You (Us?)

We hold this truth to be self-evident. The only thing truly debatable here, it seems to us, is the use in the title below of the word “Soon:”

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As Online Viewing Soars, Internet TV Will Soon Be the Only TV
BY 

More people are watching TV online than ever—a lot more. Viewers may not be cutting the cable cord altogether, but growth in the number who want to watch TV over a different set of pipes is surging, according to a new report from Adobe. If anyone was still wondering why HBO and CBS plan to offer an online-only option, the trend is clear: the internet is where people want to watch. In more and more homes, online TV isn’t a geeky novelty, a sidelight to the traditional version. It’s just what TV looks like now.

Adobe is in a position to know because its software runs the platform that nearly all US cable customers use to log into the online versions of their subscriptions, according to the company. Researchers tracked 165 online video views and 1.53 billion logins over a year, and they found that total TV viewing over the internet grew by 388 percent in mid-2014 compared to the same time a year earlier—a near-quintupling. And the increase is more than just a few diehards binge-watching: the number of unique viewers well more than doubled, growing 146 percent year-over-year. read article

Peggy Bechko: Hooked From The Beginning

No, not hooked on a feeling. Hooking the audience. Dammit!
No, not hooked on a feeling. Hooking the audience. Dammit!

by Peggy Bechko

AKA The How to Do It Syndrome

Okay writers, listen up.

How many times have you been told you can write a screenplay (or novel or whatever) if you just find the formula and follow the directions? How many times have you read articles and even books on the subject? read article

JOHN OSTRANDER: DOCTOR MCCRANKYPANTS

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by John Ostrander

SPOILER ALERT: This week’s topic is Doctor Who. If you don’t watch the show, you probably won’t like the column. Also, if you’re saving this season to binge watch and haven’t seen any of the episodes yet, there may be some spoilers. Fair warning.

We’re several weeks now into the new season of Doctor Whofeaturing the latest incarnation of the Doctor as played by Peter Capaldi. While our own Vinnie Bartilucci has been doing splendid recaps/reviews here on ComicMix, I’d like to look at Capaldi’s Doctor overall and weigh in. read article