Tag: Jonathan Ames

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 5/23/14

Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
by munchman

  • Jonathan Ames (BORED TO DEATH) is adapting the Icelandic sorta serious/sorta not series WORLD’S END for Showtime. (And we think that’s perfect casing cuz if anybody was ever a sorta kinda guy – in the best sorta way – it’s Jonathan, who has been one of Yer Friendly Neighborhood Muncher’s idols, like, forevah.)
  • Robert Orci (You name it and if it’s on TV he’s probably written and produced it) is making the switch to feature film director and will be sitting in the control chair for STAR TREK 3. (Considering how much regard this munchy one has for Orci’s writing, I’d call this pretty damn bad news for TREK lovers. OTOH, there’s one – small – bright spot. Now that Ocri’s a director I’ll never have to put his name in boldface again. Cuz that’s how we roll here at TVWriter™.)
  • In keeping with this site’s luv for peer production, I was going to announce the creators of a new web series based on Mary Shelley‘s immortal icon Frankenstein. But although the info I got names the producers, it simply refers to the writers as “a new team of writers,” so the hell with that. If anybody out there knows whose creativity is jamming on the keys, let us know in the Comments, please.)
  • Speaking of newbies, it looks like the folks at the Lancashire Telegraph newspaper website (who proudly proclaim that they were finalists for something called “Online Media Awards 2013 Best Local/Regional News Website”) are far from ready for primetime. Recently they announced that Chris Lunt, creator-writer of the hit UK series PREY has gotten the gig remaking “’60s spy show The Saint.” Normally I’d think this was a wonderful thing for a local/regional news outlet to be doing,) but I do have a teeny prob with the wording of the headline: “East Lancashire TV drama writer asked to fly to Hollywood.” Really? That’s what the the Telegraphs visitors/readers need to know? I’m thinking these bozos have managed to insult both Chris and his neighbors in one very ill-advised line of type. “Carumba!” as people in Lancashire probably don’t say.)

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 5/8/14

Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are
by munchman

  • Eric Amadio (COLUMBUS DAY) & John Singleton (SHAFT) are co-writing SNOWFALL, a Showtime series about L.A., drugs, the ghetto, and everything else ugly about the town. (Which of course means this is on Ye Friendly Neighborhood Munchead’s “Must See” List!)
  • Jonathan Ames (BORED TO DEATH) is developing BLUNT TALK a comedy series about a Brit determined to become the king of U.S. cable news, for Starz. (Yeppers, that’s the worst log line ever. But don’t despair, this baby has Patrick Stewart attached as the star and a two season order. OTOH, it has Seth MacFarlane attached to produce. But, hey, the brilliance of BORED TO DEATH will overcome! Mehopes, mehopes, mehopes….)
  • Kat Likkel & John Hoberg (MY NAME IS EARL) are re-upping their overall development deal with ABC Studios. (Cuz they can, I guess. Let’s face it, MY NAME IS EARL isn’t the best credit on anybody’s list. And their more recent work – THE NEIGHBORS, well….)
  • Michelle Lovretta (LOST GIRL) has sold KILLJOYS, an adventure/drama series about a “multi-planetary class war,” to Syfy. (Whoa, two buzzwords in one blurb. The munchman is cool with anything that says “multi-planetary” and “war,” but the “class” part could prove to be so overdone by the time this series – which already is on the new schedule – debuts. Thing is – this really sounds relevant…unfortunately for, you know, the current state of our little world.)

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 11/4/12

“Writing for money is a totally unfulfilling waste of time. Writing for love, though, can often end up making you a ton of money.” (Anon.)
  • Leslie Levings, creator of The Beastlies monster figurines, reports that she’s signed on to develop her creations into an animation project for J.J. Abrams’ company BAD ROBOT. (Which we think is really cool because it proves you don’t even have to be a writer to create a TV series these days, and writing being as hard as it is, hey, this is really awesome!)
  • Jamie Paglia (EUREKA) is writing the pilot for an ABC drama called EVOLVE, based on the Toxic City trilogy by Tim Lebbon. (Which we think is doubly cool because not only has Jamie aced out the writer of the books, the title is totally different so that none of their readers will ever suspect something they love is about to be on the air. Oh, waitaminnint, that doesn’t sound quite right, does it?)
  • Lew Schneider (EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND) & Rick Marin are adapting Marin’s Kindle Single memoir, Keep Swinging, in a sitcom for ABC. (Which we think is triply cool because, hey, Kindle, self-published stuff, making good…something all of us dream of, right? Right?)
  • Jonathan Ames (BORED TO DEATH) is writing a BORED TO DEATH TV movie for HBO. (Which is quadrupaly cool because a) it was our favorite show all 3 years it was on the air b) we got the word personally from this dood named Ted Danson and we’re just all giddy cuz he even spoke to us. HBO’s official response to this, btw, is silence, but screw them. Ted’s the Man!)