Category: Movies
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Atheists In Foxholes
The devoutly religious are fond of saying “there are no atheists in foxholes“. As that statement underscores (and the above photo refutes), the devoutly religious say a lot of asinine, stupid things. Supposedly journalist Ernie Pyle coined these “pearls of wisdom” but there’s no evidence he ever wrote or said such a thing. Actually, the…
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In The End, Napster Came For Us All: Why The SAG/WGA Strike Won’t End Any Time Soon
“Napster”… the name brings back lots of memories, doesn’t it? Not only was it fun sharing music across Napster’s platform (and discovering lots of new music along the way), it felt downright righteous! While you were getting ahold of music you loved for free, at the very same time, you were sticking it to “the…
A L Katz
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The Writers’ Strike Won’t End Soon; Here’s Why
The Writers Guild strike isn’t going to end any time soon and here’s why. It goes to the core of why Hollywood producers have always hated Hollywood writers. The stone cold fact is, film and video are not writers’ media. Screenplays and teleplays are just floorplans. Other artists will have to fill in significant details…
A L Katz
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Color Blind Casting Is What’s “To Be”
Over the course of my career in the film and TV business, I’ve hired a lot of actors. If I’m honest, I didn’t hire a one of them to act. I wanted all of them just to “be”. Now, keep in mind, we’re talking about acting for the camera, not acting for the stage. They’re…
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S2E7: Dirty Laundry
If you really want to know what’s happening on any film or TV set, the last people you should ask are the executives. We know nothing of value. We may have a pretty good fix on where the budget is, but we have no idea who’s sleeping with whom. Film and TV sets are emotionally…
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I Wrote A Jerry Lee Lewis Movie That Shoulda Been Made
Rock ‘n roll icon Jerry Lee Lewis passed away yesterday. It always sucks when rock icons die; there aren’t many left from the original batch. Jerry Lee was especially iconic. In the early days of rock, Jerry Lee was the unabashed rule breaker. He was cocky, arrogant, almost fatally full of himself. But, that attitude…
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“Nobody Knows Anything”
“Nobody knows anything” was screenwriting god William Goldman‘s terse, brutal, spot on assessment of how show business works. The people at the top of the food chain – the decision-makers – will insist that a combination of logic and personal insight rule their thinking. But, at the same time, they’ll insist that past results can’t…