Advice from a legend

 

Via screenwritersutopia on IG.

End of an era

Just when you thought the Los Angeles Times couldn't become more of a shell of its former self we get this news: Legendary sportswriter Helene Elliott is leaving the Times after 34+ years on the beat.

Although she covered a number of sports, Elliott, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, is probably best known for her L.A. Kings coverage. She will be missed by L.A. sports fans.

I hope she made bank on the buyout.

Wayfarer's Chapel closed

This is devastating news for locals - historic Wayfarer's Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes had to be closed suddenly due to land movement.

They're refunding weddings that were scheduled, so it doesn't sound like they think they'll be able to reopen any time soon. I feel bad for the brides and grooms, but loss of this beautiful place would be a huge blow to all of Los Angeles. I really hope they can save it.

Full story here.

My version of Super Bowl Sunday

Not a football fan. Not a fan of crooked politicians (yeah, I know it's redundant) either. The difference is that the entire country isn't supposed to lose.

January Words of Wisdom

Home is the kingdom in which we have the daily choice and power to make our tiny domain one of light or darkness. --Sally Clarkson 

 

When I'm at home, I need to feel like I'm floating on a cloud. --Ralph Lauren 

 

The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely. --Louisa May Alcott

 

Let yourself be silently drawn by the pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray. --Rumi

It's nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet. --Lucy Maud Montgomery

Nothing will work unless you do. --Maya Angelou

 

Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity. --Paul Goodman

 

Outer beauty turns the head,  but inner beauty turns the heart. --Helen J. Russell

I hate when people ask me, "Why are you so quiet?" Because I am. That's how I function. I don't ask of others, "Why are you so nosy? Why do you talk so much?" It's rude. --Rowan Atkinson

Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who only dream by night. --Edgar Allan Poe

"Put your head up," he said, "For you are a lion. Don't forget that and neither will the sheep." --Atticus

 

If you want to give light to others, you have to glow yourself. --Thomas S. Monson 

We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are. --J.K. Rowling

What they hate in you is missing in them. Keep shining. --Unknown

I never lose. I win or I learn. --Nelson Mandela

We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or we can rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. --Abraham Lincoln

Recent reading: "The Mysterious Affair at Styles"

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

This novel was the world's introduction not only to the future Queen of Mystery, but also to Hercule Poirot, her legendary Belgian detective, as well as Poirot's beloved sidekicks Captain Arthur Hastings and Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard. The story is told in the first person by Hastings after the murderous affair has concluded, cataloguing the events for anyone curious about an insiders recounting of how the events unfolded and how the case was solved by the brilliant Poirot.

 

Recuperating from injuries sustained in World War I, Hastings is invited by an old acquaintance to Styles Court, the family estate recently beset by a seemingly gold-digging suitor to the family matriarch. The former widow Cavendish, in her 70's, is now Mrs. Alfred Ingersol thanks to her recent marriage to a mysterious man a good twenty years her junior, and although her new husband is overly solicitous to her, her two stepsons - John and Lawrence Cavendish, who have always thought of her as a mother - are suspicious of him. There's also a maid who is extremely suspicious of Alfred Ingersol to the point where she's ready and willing to hang him without benefit of judge and jury when Mrs. Ingersol dies mysteriously and of course, there are points where anyone could be the guilty party.

We learn that Hastings fancies himself a detective, had met Poirot in Europe earlier and was fascinated by the already legendary Belgian detective, and is therefore delighted to learn that his old friend has been relocated to the village of Styles St. Mary as part of a group of Belgian refugees. After Mrs. Ingersol's horrific death by strychnine poisoning, Hastings doesn't hesitate to call on Poirot's assistance and we're off and running with the duo we've come to love so much.

That this is Christie's first novel is impressive not only in how well she tells the tale, but also in how on point the personalities and voices of Poirot and Hastings are already established. There is such self-assurance in how the story is written and told. And yes, I totally read this in David Suchet's and Hugh Fraser's voices. 

From the book:

"Let us look at the matter like this. Here is a man, let us say, who sets out to poison his wife. He has lived by his wits as the saying goes. Presumably, therefore, he has some wits. He is not altogether a fool. Well, how does he set about it? He goes boldly to the village chemist's and purchases strychnine under his own name, with a trumped up story about a dog which is bound to be proved absurd. He does not employ the poison that night. No, he waits until he has had a violent quarrel with her, of which the whole household is cognisant, and which naturally directs their suspicions upon him. He prepares no defense - no shadow of an alibi, yet he knows the chemist's assistant must necessarily come forward with the facts. Bah! Do not ask me to believe that any man could be so idiotic! Only a lunatic, who wished to commit suicide by causing himself to be hanged, would act so!"

The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the January selection for #ReadChristie2024. Each quarter features Christie novels from a specific decade(s). First quarter is the 1920's, second quarter is the 1930's, third quarter is the 1940's-1950's, and fourth quarter is the 1960's-1970's. The complete list is:

 

January: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Poirot)

February: The Secret Adversary (Tommy & Tuppence)

March: The Mystery of the Blue Train (Poirot)

April: The Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple)

May: The ABC Murders (Poirot)

June: And Then There Were None (stand alone)

July: Taken at the Flood (Poirot)

August: A Murder is Announced (Miss Marple)

September: Ordeal by Innocence (stand alone)

October: The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side (Miss Marple)

November: Third Girl (Poirot)

December: Elephants Can Remember (Poirot)

Holy donkeyballs, Weatherman!!!

A couple days ago I checked out the forecast and saw that we had another storm coming through. It was due to start next Wednesday and run through Sunday. I just looked at it again and holy moly:

 

Nine straight days of rain? Keep in mind this is as far as the forecast shows - I have no idea if Thursday, February 8 is the last day of the storm or if it's going to go even beyond that.

I know Southern Californians are big babies when it comes to weather, especially compared to places that get things like hurricanes, tornadoes, snow, and freezing temperatures - we are spoiled in that respect - but this is going to be bonkers. 

 

Given the crazy crap going on in this world, I can't say I'd blame him.

Think I'll stock up when I go shopping tomorrow so I can hunker down for a while. Just in case.

Recent reading: "The Mommie Dearest Diary"

 

The Mommie Dearest Diary: Carol Ann Tells All by Rutanya Alda

 

Actress Rutanya Alda exposes the behind the scenes going-ons of the legendary film Mommie Dearest, and to answer the most obvious question, no, Faye Dunaway doesn't come off well at all. In fact, the book begins with a trio of quotes from Bette Davis, Dick van Dyke, and Roman Polanski describing their awful experiences working with Dunaway. 

Alda had a difficult childhood. She was born in 1942 in Latvia, which would be annexed to the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. As a child she fled with her mother, brother, and grandmother (her father was kept behind) and they eventually wound up in Flagstaff, Arizona. Alda's mother showed her no love and even worse, once told her she'd wanted to abort her but was prevented from doing so by Alda's father. Movies were an escape from her difficult life and once grown, she headed to New York to become an actress.

For me, the most fascinating part of this story was Alda's career experiences leading up to Mommie Dearest and her journey through the acting world. That world included people like Lee Strasberg, Elia Kazan, Stella Adler, Roman Polanski, Brian De Palma, Robert De Niro, Barbra Streisand, Al Pacino, Gene Hackman, Robert Altman (with whom she had an affair), Sterling Hayden, Sam Peckinpah, Bob Dylan, John Wayne, Neville Brand (another affair), Dalton Trumbo, Laurence Olivier, Michael Cimino, John Cazale, and Sylvester Stallone. She appeared in Rosemary's Baby, Hello Dolly, and The Deer Hunter among other high profile films. And this was all before landing what is probably her most famous role: the deeply devoted maid Carol Ann in Mommie Dearest.

Once cast as Carol Ann, the book is comprised of Alda's actual diary entries, which includes drama not only onset but also at home - her husband, actor Richard Bright, had neglected to inform her of his drug issues before they were wed, and periodically used throughout the marriage. Over the years he would have periods of sobriety, but would always go back to the drugs. The drug abuse was compounded by the damage it did to their collective finances. He was unemployed and using drugs during the period Alda was filming Mommie Dearest (January-April 1981) causing her so much stress that she viewed the days playing Carol Ann as an escape from her personal problems, even with the difficulty of dealing with Dunaway, who seemed intent on turning the film into her own one-woman show while treating both cast and crew poorly.

I actually enjoyed Alda's writing, so much so that I wish she'd just written about the Mommie Dearest experience, rather than using the diary entries. But either way, it's a fascinating look at the machinations of Hollywood and the reality of being a working actor. Highly recommended.

From the book:

Of course, there also seems to be a more general personality problem. When Faye appeared on Inside the Actors Studio, she told James Lipton that others didn't like working with her because she was a perfectionist. Earlier in my career, I witnessed Barbra Streisand abuse people on her movie sets - now she too claims in interviews that she was disliked because she was a perfectionist. No Barbra, no Faye, you were disliked because you were abusers. A perfectionist out to be someone who sees perfection and find perfection around them; it's the imperfectionists like Faye and Barbra who keep looking for the imperfection until they find it, for what we focus on, we will find. Why demand perfection if you don't offer it? I think that Mommie Dearest has too many imperfections with which she'd have to coexist - and own some of the responsibility for.

Say hello to the nicest rejection email I've ever received

Not gonna say what the publication is (other than it's an annual one that I've yet to be published in) but I just couldn't be mad about this rejection (removed name of story and publication):

Dear Melinda,

Thank you for submitting "Name of Story" to Name of Publication (2024 Anthology). Alas, close but not quite on this one. (One editor commented that it was very well plotted, though.) Sorry -- competition was very tough.

Please try again with the next volume?

 

I'll definitely try again with the next volume! 

Some good news and some bad news and some mind-blowing news

The good news: This is the first I've heard of this project, but after reading this article it instantly went on my must-see list: SNL 1975, a backstage look at the launch of the legendary Saturday Night Live, from Jason Reitman. If done right, this should be awesome. I loved Reitman's Thank Your for Smoking, and if he brings that sensibility to SNL 1975 this should be amazing. Not gonna lie, it was heartening to hear about a film that isn't a woke remake/reimagining/reboot or yet another superhero CGI-fest.

For once, this isn't applicable. Good times.

Bad (end of an era) news: Sports Illustrated may be done for good. More info here. I remember reading their coverage of Secretariat and Ruffian as a kid. Hard to tell from these articles if they can save the magazine, but it doesn't sound good. 

Crazy news: A then 13-14 year old Jodie Foster was offered role of Princess Leia in Star Wars. Imagine the Star Wars universe with a teen Leia leading the rebellion and how it would affect not just the first film, but the sequels as well. And what does it say about two-time Oscar winner Foster's talent that she skipped being in what turned out to be one of the biggest films of all-time and still has had an amazing career. I think the big question is what kind of career Carrie Fisher would have had if Foster had taken the role. I'd also love to know George Lucas's logic behind a child leading the rebellion and how they planned on making that work. The whole story is just kind of bonkers.

Now, now, don't go giving Hollywood any ideas...

From The Babylon Bee, George Orwell's 1984 updated for the (echo voice) MODERN...AUDIENCE:

 

From the article:

"We felt like it was time to update the story to fit a modern audience," Sony producer Glen Maxwell told reporters. "After seeing how censorship and totalitarianism have grown in popularity over the past few years, we think Big Brother is probably a better protagonist than Winston Smith. Big Brother's insistence on absolute compliance fits better with current progressive ideals."

 

The more I think about it, the more the idea of a story about some Hollywood filmmakers making this exact version of 1984 because they think that's what the people want to see sounds like a great parody. Now that's movie I'd watch.

Recent reading: "End Credits: How I Broke Up with Hollywood"

 End Credits: How I Broke Up with Hollywood by Patty Lin

 

Patty Lin, whose television writing credits include a Writers Guild nominated episode of Breaking Bad, details her journey to and from Hollywood in this brutal and eye-popping look at life in the entertainment industry. According to Lin, she wrote the book as her answer to the frequently asked question, "Why would you quit such a cool career?" And she does a great job of providing the answer without ever coming across as someone whining about her good fortune.

After putting in a lot of hard work, Lin got her big break when she was hired for the writing staff of Freaks and Geeks, where she thrived. Unfortunately the show was cancelled after only 18 episodes, and although her future credits would include Friends, Desperate Housewives, and the aforementioned Breaking Bad, she would never again achieve the respect and satisfaction she enjoyed on Freaks and Geeks. Finally, after her WGA-nominated Breaking Bad episode (and lots of therapy) she made the decision to give up on TV writing and save her sanity.

In addition to the fact that the entertainment industry is a crazy place to exist in, Lin was rarely given much guidance in her career by the people who hired her. Her powerful work ethic and storytelling skills helped her become successful in spite of this, but her overall experiences were stressful and unhappy. She often felt overworked, disrespected and manipulated. Her personal life wasn't much better. Lin spent ten years in a relationship with a fellow writer who was more concerned with his career than his relationship and she also had a sometimes difficult relationship with her parents, who she felt were disappointed in her career choice.

 

It wasn't all bad. In spite of her unhappy time spent on the show, she acknowledges that her sweet Friends residuals still help pay the bills, describing the show as "the gift that keeps on giving". And there's also the fact that as tough as her career was, it led to a lot of soul-searching, introspection, and finally, a healthy relationship that culminated in marriage. End Credits is a terrific behind-the-scenes look at how the television industry and the people in it operate, as well as an inspiring story of an intelligent, talented woman finding inner peace, health, and happiness.

From the book:

By now the actors had had enough time to stew over their complaints about the script. They rarely had anything positive to say, and when they brought up problems, they didn't suggest feasible solutions. Seeing themselves as guardians of their characters, they often argued that they would never do or say such-and-such. That was occasionally helpful, but overall these sessions had a dire, aggressive quality that lacked all the levity you'd expect from the making of a sitcom. The cast behaved as if they weren't just Big Stars but also Serious Actors - even though Friends was never going to be Citizen Kane.