Tag: Spec Scriptacular

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 10/5/14

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

  • Justin Spitzer (THE OFFICE) is developing a comedy called THE GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD for NBC. (Incurable romantic that yer munchero is, I have to admit that what I really like about this news item is the fact that at least we have a project with a title! Nice going, Justin. Knew we could count on you to spice up the news day.)
  • Meredith Lavender & Marcie Ulin (NASHVILLE) are writing PAIR OF ACES, which ABC describes as “an operatic family drama…who are…rising stars in Texas politics….” (Actually, the official logline goes on and on and on, which tells me one thing: Nobody writing press releases for ABC has ever read what Our Beloved Leader, LB, has written about keeping loglines short. Which explains why they’re writing press releases instead of being on the staffs of shows.)
  • Martin Burke is turning his novel, The Commissar’s Report, into a “comedic drama” for HBO. (The novel, btw, was written in 1984, which means that Mary’s had 30 years to think about it and work out what undoubtedly is a brilliant plan for the series. Watch this space for further reports about how many pieces HBO’s crack Development Creeps Peeps break his heart into over the course of this show’s development. And, yeppers, I guarantee they will. Not cuz they’re evil. Just cuz, you know, they can.)
  • Just when you thought it was safe to turn on your DVR, Universal Cable Prods has decided to develop Catherine Linka‘s Young Adult novel, A Girl Called Fearless, and its upcoming sequel into a series “set in an alternate future America where a synthetic beef hormone has wiped out millions of women and turned teenage girls into a valuable commodity to be ‘protected & contracted.’” (The books may be brilliant, but there’s something vaguely repellant about that premise, don’t you think? Not that I’d turn down the writing gig, oh beloved execs at Universal Cable. In fact, you just might be able to talk me into selling out every single one of my principals for a crack at it. That’s right, I’ll let you totally dominate my better judgment and destroy me for a mere cable pilot minimum writing fee. What’s that wet sound I hear? Could it be you guys salivating at the thought of turning me into a miserable – but rich – pawn? Comment down below, Oh Perverse Execs, and we’ll talk $$$ but not art. Never, ever will we talk art.)

That’s it for now. Write in and tell munchilito what you’ve sold today. TVWriter™ can’t wait to brag to all your friends. (And, more importantly, enemies. Hehehe….)

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 10/4/14

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

  • Bobby Bowman (MY NAME IS EARL) is writing the pilot for  an untitled CBS “workplace comedy.” (Hey, I could write one of those…if I’d ever had a job with a workplace. Well, actually, if I’d ever had a job. Workplace comedies are so hot we don’t even have to give them names. Maybe I can fake it?)
  • Chris Harris (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER) is also writing an untitled CBS comedy, this one about “a couple who wants to set up two friends who may be perfect for each other.” (Hey, CBS Development Peeps, take it from munchman – couples trying to set up their friends with each other are never funny.  Not until they break up and decide to hook up with those self same friends. Then they’re a riot…for about the time it takes to read this item.)
  • Mark V Olsen & Will Scheffer (GETTING ON) are writing another HBO comedy pilot, this time based on the life of a “famous French actress who moves to the U.S.” (Starring will be the real live human who has inspired this thing,  Judith Godrèche. Who, yeppers, is so famous that neither I nor anybody I know has ever heard of her or seen her. But we have an excuse for our ignorance: None of us ever watch TV. Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have said that?)
  • Liz Heldens (DECEPTION) is writing an untitled ABC drama pilot about a disgraced journalist who has to work for his former intern. (Whoa! This is like the best idea of the century, kids, and a lot like one of my recurring fantasies which is that someday our Beloved Leader LB will also have to work for a former intern of his – i.e., me, me, me. “You call this coffee, Brody? Where’s my sugar? Where’s my soy sauce? Are you so %$#@! stupid you still can’t get my order right?!” Ah, it’s good to have a dream.)

That’s it for now. Write in and tell munchilito what you’ve sold today. TVWriter™ can’t wait to brag to all your friends. (And, more importantly, enemies. Hehehe….)

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 10/3/14

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

  • Judd Apatow (KNOCKED UP) & Lesley Arfin (BROOKLYN 99) & Paul Rust (ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT) are writing a Netflix comedy series following a young woman and young man “as they deal with the best and worst of relationships.” (Mixed feelings here from yer friendly neighborhood muncharooni. The good: The Juddman’s TV work has always been funny as hell and, at the same time realistic. The bad: His recent film comedies have all seemed to be about beings that appear human but live and react like no real people any other real people have ever known or seen. Will Leslie and Paul save this series? Gotta admit – I’m rooting for it.)
  • Stephnie Weir (THE MILLERS) is writing the proverbial “untitled half-hour project” for ABC about funny stuff happening at a bank. (Speaking of something not being real! Have you ever had one moment of fun at your local bank? Even when I’m putting my very own money into their hot little hands the squids behind the windows at my most convenient bank branch do their best to make it not convenient at all. Was that a rant? Sorry. We return now to stories of wonderful success:)
  • Jason Blum (described as a “horror master” but hell, my life is the biggest horror of all and I’ve never even heard of the dude) is developing an untitled horror series for NBC that the network’s PR describes as “in the vein of THE TWILIGHT ZONE. (Uh, that would be, as the release intimates, cuz it’ll be an anthology without continuing characters, not necessarily cuz it’ll be good. Just sayin’.)
  • Jimmy Kimmel (yeppers, that Jimmy Kimmel) is writing yet another untitled pilot script, this one a comedy for ABC about “a once massively popular VJ who…is forced to move back in with his parents and take a job as hot of a local radio ‘morning zoo.'” (Now this one sounds funny and is actually based on the life of Mr. Kimmel’s good buddy Carson Daly, whom I personally happen to know and therefore will be able to call and ask for a job if this gets picked up, which means today’s luv and $$$ has – potentially at least – a very happy ending for, you know, moi. Yes!

That’s it for now. Write in and tell munchilito what you’ve sold today. TVWriter™ can’t wait to brag to all your friends. (And, more importantly, enemies. Hehehe….)

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 10/2/14

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

  • Scott Gold (UNDER THE DOME) is developing DEEP WEB, a drama series about a computer genius who, “with the help of his geeks gone wild posse, evolves into the overlord of the internet’s underworld,” for Spike. (Cuz BREAKING BAD. Nuff said?)
  • Tom Kapinos (CALIFORNICATION) is developing LUCIFER, yet another DC Comics-related series for Fox. (Flying in the face of the common wisdom that TV never does anything new, this time around we have a comic villain nobody’s ever heard of, a network that never does comics related material, and a dramedy creator, all working together on a series that, if it follows the not-very-popular comic book, will be about the devil deciding to abandon hell and open a piano bar in L.A. Hmm, that same old, same old starting to look a little better now?)
  • Scot Armstrong (THE HANGOVER II) is adapting the ancient film, PROBLEM CHILD, into a comedy series for NBC. (Uh-oh, now that yer munchikins reads that, I’m thinking LUCIFER won’t be so bad!
  • Kevin Sussman (BIG BANG THEORY) has sold a comedy pilot script called WIFE OF CRIME to CBS, about “a straitlaced guy from Staten Island who marries into an Italian family with ties to the mob.” (Hey, I’m laughing already. I mean, what else can I say? Capish?)
  • Jordan Roter (newbie!) is writing the pilot for CBS’s LETTERS TO MY DAUGHTER’S FUTURE THERAPIST, a comedy in which a mother’s voiceover explains her actions to her daughter’s future therapist, confident that said daughter will blame her for everything bad in her life. (Yes, the muncher lurves this one. Especially where I got to write “newbie.” Way to go Jordan Roter!)

That’s it for now. Write in and tell munchilito what you’ve sold today. TVWriter™ can’t wait to brag to all your friends. (And, more importantly, enemies. Hehehe….)

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 10/1/14

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

  • Jim Sheridan, Naomi Sheridan & Kirsten Sheridan (IN AMERICA) are adapting their Best Screenplay nominated feature film (that would be, you know, IN AMERICA) into an HBO series to be called – oh, you guessed – IN AMERICA. (Hey, it’s drama! It’s indie! It’s got art cred! And a tale of the struggle of a family of 21st century Irish immigrants to adapt, survive, maybe even thrive in the good ole USA is contemporary storytelling at its– Oh, wait, did munchero say “contemporary?” Gulp.)
  • Howard Gordon (24) just agreed to accept another ton of $$$ to stay at 20th Telly for a few more years. (Dude is so damn successful I keep waiting for him to buy an ABA team. But if he did, would there still be one left for me to shell out for when my ship comes in? Damn you, Howard Gordon, you’ve stolen my career and my basketball franchise and, and…oh, who the hell cares?)

That’s it for now. Write in and tell munchilito what you’ve sold today. TVWriter™ can’t wait to brag to all your friends. (And, more importantly, enemies. Hehehe….)