Category: Opinion

Herbie J Pilato: THE LONE RANGER: It Didn’t Have To End This Way

by Herbie J Pilato

moreloneFor some reason, feature film remakes of classic television shows are produced as a joke; as if the original core material of these productions were unworthy from the get-go. But if that was true why would there be any attempt at all of a big-screen redo of a small-screen hit show?

Submitted for everyone’s disapproval at the box-office: the new and present danger of The Lone Ranger, and before that, 2011’s Dark Shadows; both of which just so happen to feature Johnny Depp in a lead role, and covered with overtly-white make-up, nonetheless.

Whether or not Depp was somehow attempting to re-hash his very successful look from his crazy-successful Pirates of the Caribbean films, or whether or not he was somehow attempting to just hide the fact that he was really in the Lone and Shadows films in the first place, let’s hope he’s now moved-on forever from the powdered-white-face look. Let’s hope, too, that the wretched ticket sales that accompanied the Dark and Ranger releases will not sink any future attempts to remake classic television programs for the big screen. read article

Tomorrow Will Be Televised

And by tomorrow, writer Simon Applebaum means, literally, tomorrow. His thesis: TV is at a crossroads, and everything that happens in the next 6 months is going to affect the future of the medium, for better or for worse.

We think it’ll be for better:

by Simon Applebaum

simonapplebaumshowTake an extended breath, then brace yourself for an explosive second half of 2013. Quite a ride is in store for anyone involved in the television world, starting and ending with viewers. Here’s a roundup of what you can expect: read article

LB: Ooh, Somebody Actually Noticed My Poetry!

I’m definitely loving on Examiner.Com:

TV writer goes wild with “Kid Hollywood and the Navajo Dog”
by Janet Arvia

Kid HollywoodAnyone who has worked with Final Draft is familiar with TV industry expert Larry Brody, whose morsels of advice appear on the screenwriting software. The Northwestern University alum worked on Ironside, Hawaii Five-O,The Streets of San Francisco and Police Story as well as creating the animated Silver Surfer TV program in 1998, before establishing the Cloud Creek Institute for the Arts and TVWriter.com to help aspiring writers.

Today, Brody is switching channels with the release of a Kindle edition of his book Kid Hollywood and the Navajo Dog which poetically traces his life as a TV writer and his time, away from Hollywood, in the mystic wilderness. “Everything that happens in this book did in fact happen,” says Brody. “Every event. Every emotion. Every sign/auger/omen.” read article

‘Spexism’: Sales of Female-Penned Spec Scripts Hit New Low

Disgraceful. (Not this article, just the stats/info in it. What the hell is wrong with this Biz?)

To be fair, the article also tells us that if you’re a female/woman (what the hell word are we supposed to use here anyway?) writing for television, your chances of getting somewhere are much better than if you’re trying to sell a spec feature film screenplay. So there. (We’d say, “Nonni, nonni, nonni,” but our hearts just aren’t in it.)

specnewsby Lucas Shaw

Hollywood has long been inhospitable to women, and it is only getting worse for those who are also aspiring screenwriters. read article

10 Essential Elements of a Great Escapist Hero

The always aware Charlie Jane Anders has the rare gift of being able to put her finger right on the crux of all things writerly. Don’t believe us? Read this, motherfuckers:

escapistheroesby Charlie Jane Anders

A grand adventure needs an inspirational hero. Not just a cool person in a fancy suit, but someone to believe in. It’s not quite true that a science fiction or fantasy story is only as good as its hero, but the hero’s greatness is certainly a limiting factor. Here are 10 essential qualities a hero ought to have.

1) Being Unique in Some Way

And no, this doesn’t have to mean that the good guy is “the chosen one,” or the subject of a particularly juicy prophecy. The hero could just be the youngest captain ever to command a starship, or the only human ever to take on a particular mantle. Or maybe the “good guy” is just the smartest man or woman in the room, or the one person who stops to ask the tough question before rushing into a situation. Something has to make this person stand out, from the beginning. read article