Here’s What I Think…

The drum beating is getting louder for a potential writers’ strike in Hollywood, which would eventually shut down film and television production if not resolved.  The union just voted for a strike authorization, and I believe it will pass.  Once again, the studios and networks are playing hardball, even suggesting rollbacks, which is just ridiculous given how much cash they rake in every year from movies and television shows created by writers.  If we do hit the picket line, I will probably hit the road and work on a book or try to write more animation, which is not covered by the WGA.  The hugely successful writers have nothing to worry about because they can last forever, and the out of work writers have nothing to lose.  It’s the middle tier, the writers toiling away on writing staffs and writing pilots, writers like myself, that would feel the most pain of a prolonged strike.  I’m holding my breath, hoping these issues can be resolved.  But so far, all I’m hearing is how large the gap is between what the writers want and what the studios are willing to give (which amounts to basically nothing).  Stay tuned.

One of the more exciting projects I’ve been working on lately is the film adaptation of my first novel The Actor’s Guide to Murder.  I first developed the script some time ago, but when I brought on a very talented director, Joe Dietl, who loved the book, and had some great ideas on how to improve the existing script, for the first time I began to believe the time was ripe for this film to finally get made.  I’m a novice in the independent film world, and with the lead being a gay former child star, this is clearly not a studio film.  But Joe and I are pushing ahead hoping to raise enough money to shoot it next spring.  We’re also planning one or two readings of the script to entice potential investors.  So far, we’ve attached three actors to the project– the hilarious  and iconic Margaret Cho, the incomparable Jane Lynch from all those Christopher Guest improv comedies, and the very funny and very sexy Tuc Watkins, of One Life to Live  fame who will be appearing in Desperate Housewives this season as one half of a gay couple.  I never saw anyone else as my hero Jarrod’s hot cop boyfriend Charlie.  There are no guarantees in this business, and the film may never happen if we don’t raise the money we need, but this could be a hoot of a movie and I really hope to see it come to fruition.

Of all the returning network TV shows, I have to commend Ugly Betty for an outstanding episode that kicked off its second season last Thursday.  No signs of a sophomore slump with this one.  Lots of surprises plotwise, some hilarious one-liners, and of course the luminous presense of recently crowned Emmy Winner America Ferrara as the title character.  This show with its sharp sense of humor, heart-tugging storylines, and camp sensibility is simply tailor-made for me.  I also caught the season premiere episodes of Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters, two solid shows, but with mixed results for their bows.  Housewives seemed a little tired, though the addition of Dana Delaney, who was originally offered the role of Bree before Marcia Cross, gave the show a boost.  And soon a gay couple will move to the neighborhood, which should stir things up.  One of the guys is going to be played by the very talented Tuc Watkins from One Life to Live (full disclosure: he’s a friend).  He’s sure to spice things up.  B & S featured some fine work by Sally Field and the impressive ensemble cast, and was a bit more engrossing than its lead-in, especially with the storyline involving one of Sally’s sons, who we found out by show’s end was seriously injured in Iraq.

I’ve been writing a lot of detective stories lately, having finished a now dead pilot at Lifetime and currently gearing up to write another one for USA, not to mention my last four books, so watching these prime time continuing dramas is a nice change of pace.  I’d like to develop my own sometime soon.  I’ve always been a fan of the glossy, fun soaps.

I just got back from San Francisco where I was visiting an old college friend from NYU.  After a nightmarish journey on United Airlines, I’ve decided the next time it would be easier for me to just drive up and back.  At least I could kick back with a book on tape and think about my writing projects instead of dealing with cancelled flights, fruitless standby lists and a rebooking that took me to LAX instead of Burbank where my car was valet parked.  The Super Shuttle ride from LAX to Bob Hope Airport was longer than the actual flight.  Oh well.  Travel nowadays is always a crapshoot.  Be well.