Screenwriting Blog
Ruminations about screenwriting, movies, Hollywood, and the Seattle filmmaking scene by NWSG President, Aadip Desai
August 2008:
August 21, 2008 - L.A. Trip - Day 7
Flight home. Junkie time. Yep, got on the plane, a cool technology consultant guy sat two seats over and tried to convince me to act scary so nobody would sit next to us. "Roll up your sleeve and show off your tats, I'll do the crazy eyes" We thought we were good to go, but right after they closed the doors to the plane, a woman said, "Is that seat taken?" Damn.
The first thing she says is, "Sorry I'm stinky, I just got out of rehab." Oh shit, it's gonna be a long flight. We warned her that she sat between the wrong guys--we were planning on drinking the whole flight to celebrate his 100th flight on Southwest Airlines.
Talk about a captive audience. We spent the next two hours talking her down, trying to keep her from freaking out and puking her guts out on the plane. We were regaled with her rehab buddy's junkie poetry, sat through a slideshow, begged for pills, saw pictures of her "baby girl," and asked if we made a lot of money. We did meet a fit model and most of the flight attendants were nice to us, so it wasn't all bad. But, my advice, if someone is going through withdrawals from opiates, try not to let them sit next to you on a plane.
August 20, 2008 - L.A. Trip - Day 6
Put in four hourst at the WGA Library with my new buddy, Javier, at the helm. Read through that pilot, four scripts, and another pilot. Good times. Ready to get home and write.
Got back to the pad and took a short nap.
August 19, 2008 - L.A. Trip - Day 5
I got to the Beverly Hills/Westwood area early this morning. So I had some time to kill before my meeting with Blake Snyder. I stopped in at the much lauded Writer's Store. I hadn't been there in years, but I've ordered numerous books, brads, paper, and other accessories from them. They have any thing you'd ever need for your screenwriting and TV writing career...and then some.
I was a relatively good boy, only dropping some quid on the scripts for Freaks and Geeks Vol. 1 and 2, a new copy of the Juno shooting script, a replacement copy of Writing the Romantic Comedy, and a DVD on career development. The guys who work that know their stuff and are really helpful. I wish we had one of these in Seattle. Thank goodness their delivery business for those of us far removed from HW. Definitely stop in if you're in town.
Just grabbed coffee with Blake Snyder in his hood, Beverly Hills. He was feeling under the weather, fighting off a cold from one of his many recent travels across the globe. As usual, Blake's positivity and openness are like a breath of fresh air in a world full of cynicism and self-doubt. His encouragement of my own career and the future of the Guild was energizing, as well as his sincere goal to help all the other aspiring screenwriters have the success that he has had. His continued advice and support have been one of the biggest perks of being President of the Guild.
Walking back to the Eclipse after meeting with Blake, I came upon this great store called Doggie Styles. The proprietor, Mike (and his wife Eva, who was not there), was an ex ad-guy (perhaps a Mad Man), who came out from NYC on a job and never left. He stayed in LA and as his retirement gig, opened up this store.
Suffering from Brando withdrawal syndrome (BWS), I played with his two dogs, HEMI and BUTTONS, eventually purchasing a Burberry style necktie and a Captain America Camouflage T-Shirt. Pretty cool shit. Funny thing--he asked me what I did and thought it was great what we're doing up in the NW for screenwriters. He followed that up with, "Did you go to Comic-Con?" Only in LA would someone who owns a store where they sell high-quality leashes, collars, and everything else for spoile dogs know about important industry conventions. Of course, he was off to Pet Fashion Week in NYC. Now that sounds fun.
After coming home and checking out the website, I realized that J LO and Jessica Alba shop there, among other celebs.
Had lunch in Santa Monica with ex-Board Member and good writing buddy, Danny Walter and my childhood friend, Jeff. The proprietor of the place kept giving me the could shoulder about sitting us. He wanted our whole party there, so I guess 2 out of 3 doesn't count. Jeff, although from Sacramento, sets his watch to island time. I've known this forever, so I just told the guy he was parking. After seating us and 45 minutes later the dude is in my face about it. Of course, we ordered an appetizer and several beers, so what's the big to do, Anyway, we had a lovely 2+ hour lunch amid the beautiful people. I have this theory-- anybody who is a somebody seems to be in their late 30s to early 50s. This ageism is strange because the people perpetuating are about to "age out" or have already. I don't get it. I hope a few more of these lawsuits come through and age has no bearing on employment in the business. That'd be great for all of us, no.
Just had drinks with Sanjay Shah. Sanjay just got back from Cancun (with his family), so he was slamming bitters and soda water. Montezuma's Revenge. I was having a Tanqueray Tonic. Gotta fight off Malaria every chance I get. We had a quick chat about writing, surfing, traveling with Gujarati parents, and what I should work on with my own writing. I heard some more horror stories and then he showed me around the KING OF THE HILL office. All delusions of grandeur faded from my mind. It looked like any old office, except the invidual writers' offices were pretty spare, dirty, and well, looked like writers lived there. I got to see the board of the seasons' episodes and who wrote what. Pretty exciting. I met another writer on the show who is from Greenwood, my hood. Small world.
Just got back from a lovely dinner and stroll through Hancock Park with former guest and my good friend, Marilyn Atlas. We hit up the old El Coyote, where Hollywood hipsters, rockers, writers, and actors carouse and imbibe. Although Marilyn doesn't like Mexican food, she obliged me, since this time I was the guest. Funny how that is.
After a very filling meal, she took me on a late night walk through her neighborhood, showing me all the old mansions, each with their own unique flare. There were also several mansions that had been converted to multiple 1,500-2,000+ square foot apartments. Very cool. After returning to my car and saying my goodbyes, I hopped in the Eclipse and burned it back home.
August 18, 2008 - L.A. Trip - Day 4
I rolled up to the WGA Library at 7000 W 3rd in the SOFAX area. Why go there? Because they have produced TV and Film script that you can read there. You can park underneath the WGA Foundation building (cheap, make sure you get your ticket validated), go upstairs, say hi to the front desk dudes, and head to the lockers, where you can stash your bag for free. Walk into the WGA Library, give your id to the librarian on duty (say hi to Javier Barrios, my new buddy), fill out the slip for which scripts you want, and they will go get them for you. You can't make any scanned copies or anything, but you can physically copy it by hand into your computer or on paper.
Since the show I'm speccing is impossible to get, it was imperative that they have a copy for me to check the formatting and structure. Luckily, they had the pilot and four produced teleplays. So after reading through a couple really fast, taking notes on the formatting, I got a call. Had to meet past guest and friend, Michael McGahey over in Burbank. I'll be BACK.
So I jetted off to McCormick and Schmicks (NW Company, eh?) and had a lovely lunch with him and Leah Hoyer (originally from Lake Forest Park), both are at Disney these days. We talked about the state of affairs at Disney, Starbucks, driving in LA, the development of the Guild, and enticed Leah to come up.
While waiting for the valet to bring my car, I had my one and only celeb sighting on my trip---CESAR MILLAN, the DOG WHISPERER. Laura thought I should've brandished my Brando tattoo (Brando the Maltese, not Marlon Brando), but I didn't want to scare the poor man. The last time I was in LA I saw Paris Hilton. I was way more excited about this one.
I had some time to kill before coming home for a family dinner, so I went over to Melrose (my favorite place to shop in LA), parked the car and WALKED, yes, walked up and down the street. It's almost like a pilgramage for me, since I never find threads that I like in Seattle. I usually get all my clothes in Vancouver BC. It was a hot day, so most of the women were half clothed, which is very surprising compared to the covered up ladies of Seattle. Not that I was looking. Laura doesn't care anyway, as long as they're cute. I got two pairs of shoes, two shirts, a pair of pants, and a ridiculous gorilla toy
at Munky King, an anime store. Not bad for me. I usually go crazy after saving up my money. After a few hours, mostly people watching and chatting with the shopkeepers. Many of them were complaining about the high costs of things, some are even closing down due to exorbitant rents. All in all, people are very nice on Melrose.
Pineapple Express:
After a nice sit-down dinner at my uncle's pad, my cousin and I saw Pineapple Express. It starts out funny (great inside stoner comedy), with a scene-stealing James Franko. Thin on plot and characterization, it devolves into the most ridiculous fight sequence I've ever seen. We prayed for it to end, and it kept going. Worth seeing, on DVD, at home, where you can smoke your ass off.
August 17, 2008 - L.A. Trip - Day 3
It's Sunday, and I spent it with my friend (an agent at CAA), and her husband, (a Film Editor) at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. I ate a giant belgian waffle at the Cheescake Factory. Oh wait, in the menu it was listed as GIANT BELGIAN WAFFLE. I'm glad they warned me. I ate the whole thing, drank a ton of coffee, then we dorked around looking at furniture. Am I nesting? Why all the foreplay? We were preparing for TROPIC THUNDER. The cool thing is we bought our tickets online the day before and RESERVED OUR SEATS. I LOVE LA. The Greeter before the film was very well-spoken. We had the most comfortable movie seats outside The Grove.
The movie was so funny, from the fake opening credits onward. Do not miss them. I don't want to give too much away, but it is worth seeing in the theatre, for it's grandness, ridiculous stunts, over-the-top performances, and of course, the collective response from the audience.
Robert Downey Jr was excellent as an Australian (method) actor who undergoes plastic surgery to look black in order to get a part in the movie that the movie is about. Hard to 'splain, but as a person-of-color I was not offended, because they really let the character have it. Fun stuff. Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Nick Nolte, and many others turned out great performances. So awesome.
Spent the evening watching episodes of the next thing I'm going to spec.
August 16, 2008 - L.A. Trip - Day 2
Got home late last night. Woke up early and met up with Misher Films Exec and Former NWSG guest, Kevin Chang. He took me surfing for the first time ever. The best part of surfing? Cute girls who like surfers. I was standing out on the street, holding a board, no clue which end was up or down, and got hit on by a hot chick. Kevin was pissed, cause he never sees or talks to any hotties near his house, and I'd been there all of 10 minutes, already making conversation. I think it's the wedding ring combined with my completely non-threatening lameness that fosters conversation with attractive women. I could never get arrested in Seattle.
Cut To: Manhattan Beach. A slightly overweight, blind-as-a-bat-without-his-contact lenses, Indian guy with no tan, paddling a board into the horizon, waiting for a wave to come. Unfortunately, the waves were pretty scarce, but I rock at sitting on my board, losing balance, and rolling over into the ocean. Also, got very good at making fun of Kevin Chang with the other guys, all in the biz. Hey, it's LA. I popped up on three, count 'em, three tiny waves, and then drowned myself due to lack of balance and naturally non-athletic skill set. But, I love surfing and now I'm officially addicted to all things board-related, SNOWBOARDING, SURFING, and BOARD MEETINGS. OK, not addicted to Board Meetings, but I do love them. Have you met the Board of NWSG. Nice folks.
Later than night, after a luxurious meal at the mall, I grabbed a nap, a shower, and we were off to the Groundlings. Mind you, I'm sitting between my uncle and dad, both Urologists. Weird eh? One of the first skits made fun of wannabe screenwriters in the form of a peer group keeping an actor and two screenwriters on task. A later skit, made fun of urologists in the form of a skit about a scrotum doctor on the Sirius radio network. What are the odds? It was a really good show, despite it being a small cast. I always catch these guys when I visit LA.
August 15, 2008 - L.A. Trip - Day 1
Today was a travel day. I flew direct from Sea-tac to Burbank. Of course, Southwest Airlines thinks direct involves a long stopover in Oakland. The flight was OK. Nothing stellar. Flight crew was grumpy. Full flight. Talked to a nice guy at the airport who just underwent carpal tunnel surgery and was flying back home to recuperate.
Picked up my rental car at Budget, which was a very quick and friendly experience. Even got the free upgrade to the Mitsubishi Eclipse. Vroom, vroom, baby. I was rolling in LA in a fast mofo of a car. Fun to drive. Drove over to my Uncle's house, my base of operations for the week.
We then picked up my folks at the SAME airport a few hours later. This time we went straight to dinner and then to the Hollywood Bowl to check out the Hollywod Bowl Orchestra and Cachao's Mambo All-Stars. The first half was the orchestra playing mostly Cuban-style tunes from composers, but not any authentic Cuban stuff. The 10,000+ people in attendance wanted more, and we got it after intermission. The Cachao Mambo All-Stars came out and just tore it up, then were joined by the hottest salsa dancers I've every seen.
The movie-related part of the evening was proud acknowledgment of the film industry, music, and history in Hollywood, by conductor, Thomas Wilkins. No shame, embarassment, etc. People there love that they live there, I must say, I loved that too. 10K people listening to Cuban Mambo is a nice way to spend the evening, outdoor, in nice weather.
August 10, 2008 - Dan and Jake
We just hosted Dan Nguyen and Jake Kurily, execs at Donner' Company and Mosaic Media. We covered so many topics, my head is still spinning. OK, maybe it was from the martinis at dinner. All this running around tires me out, but then I get home and can't sleep because I'm thinking about all the information I learned during the interview and Q&A: the effect of Heath Ledger's death on box office returns and the home office morale, where to live in LA, how to get the reader on your side, which projects to pitch when, having an original voice, and much much more.
The next day, we held individual pitch sessions, which I'm told by our execs were great. Hats off to us they say (shit, I just went Bill Shakespeare on it), regarding the quality of the pitches and storytelling abilities of NWSG Compendium Members. I guess all these workshops and pitching opportunities are starting to take root. We're getting a rep people--awesome.
August 4, 2008 - This week's event
Sorry I've been out of the blogging space. Between a big rewrite, developing a TV series, family in town, web design gigs, and fighting off a cold, I've been buried.
I'm excited to report that although we lost Abby Ex (from Hey Day Films), we found a sub in Jake Kirily, an exec whose company, Mosaic, has worked on a couple of little films--BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT. Of course, we're still bringing up Dan Nguyen from Donners' Company. So if you were thinking of bailing on this weekend's activities, at least come in and check out the interview portion on Friday. For those with screenplays ready to pitch, Saturday will be an excellent opporunity to get in front of two huge companies.