What Could Be More Depressing…
… than discussing who is getting fired at ParaDream?
As for Oscar, I feel like a 6-year-old who is crashing after eating too much Halloween candy.
Talk amongst yourselves… please be nice.
May 6, 2024
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
At least we got “Big Momma’s House 2” to cure our ills.
I feel happy because Brokeback Mountain is going to WIN!!!
Hopefully, this weekend’s box office will be good. There’s already a minor bump due to the nominations.
Monday: $620,000
Tuesday: $790,000
Wednesday: $830,000
I’m just shocked at the cold-blooded manner in which Brad Grey “absorbed” DW into Paramount. The multitude of people getting fired amidst the flowery emails by Grey to his company (i.e. “We are delighted at…” “We are embarking on a groundbreaking venture..” blah blah blah) is very sad.
This isn’t Paramount buying DW here. This is DW buying Paramount.
Absolutely crazy.
I see the second Narnia is officially happening for a late 2007 release. It’s the only other book with all four kids, and it has some structural weirdness that’s going to make it more challenging to adapt into an interesting movie.
I imagine they’ll go with another young unknown to play Caspian, which is probably a good call.
Prince Caspian is unfilmable as is. Hopefully by rejiggering the plot it’ll give the story a little more “oomph.” Caspian was the least memorable of the books when I read them as a kid.
As for Paramount: Grey is a devil. A man with no studio experience comes in and completely casts aside people who have been loyal and good employees for decades. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Waterbucket
Why do I have the distinct feeling that CRASH is going to ruin BROKEBACK’S chances? MUNICH is irrelevant in the race, as are CAPOTE and GOOD NIGHT. So it’s basically a CRASH vs BROKEBACK at the Academy Awards.
Now there was that LA Weekly article about Academy Members not seeing BROKBACK screeners. i don’t know the validity of that. But for some reason I’m getting a feeling of CRASH ruining its chances.
I saw CRASH in November 2003 at the AFM in Santa Monica – 11 am almost empty show. Thought it was pretentious, a bit too Michael Mann without the gravitas; heavy-handed and ended with a comical car crash between stereotypical ethnic groups, like something out of an Inspector Clouseau flick. I did however think Michael Pena as the locksmith was great; his whole “invisible cloak” scene with his daughter was really something. And Matt Dillon was amazing. But as a film, it deserves not to be nominated as Best Picture.
I’m distressed for Waterbucket. If BBM loses on Oscar night I don’t want to know what he’ll do. How empty will he feel???
Yeah and maybe Mystic River will take down Return of the King. Maybe Pulp Fiction will stop Forrest Gump. Maybe Moulin Rouge will tap dance over A Beautiful Mind… nope. Didn’t happen, won’t happen this year. Brokeback’s got it.
If Brokeback loses to Crash (Oscar god forbids!), I’ll be putting the following names on a list:
Dave Poland, Paul Haggis, the cast of Crash, the Academy’s president, Ashlee Simpson (just cuz).
And I’m gonna go Uma Thurman on all of their a__es.
I like your confidence Scotch.
Spielberg said the same thing about Private Ryan. Scorcese about Raging Bull. Stone about Born on the 4th.
Yea, they were all in the bag too.
Don’t be surprised if Ang Lee winds Best Director and CRASH wins Best Picture. It’s that kind of a year.
So many liberal/progressive themed movies out there, even Stanley Kramer would have had a tough time deciding what he’d go for.
Now what did Ashlee ever do to you, Bucket, besides giving you hour upon hour of great listening pleasure????
Ok. Take her out.
joefitz, she made me want to lala.
Back to the Brad Grey debacle.
Paramount was GODFATHER, CHINATOWN, LOVE STORY, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, the STAR TREK flicks etc etc.
Dreamworks is SHREK, THE PRINCE OF EGYPE, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, GLADIATOR and THE ISLAND.
How can a legendary studio like Paramount and its staff get treated like that? And what happens to Gail Berman? She gets replaced by Jeffrey Katzenberg – he goes back to where he started from? This is bizarre.
I wonder how the new Dreamworks, uhm I mean the new Paramount going is going to revitalize once thriving franchises like STAR TREK and going to build on its 70s and 80s legacy.
Poland was right. The new Paramount gets nothing from the DW deal, only hearteache – the DW film library is going to be sold supposedly to George Soros anyway – what the hell does Paramount benefit from all this and *why* is Brad Grey so intent on bending over backwards to DW and its former employees and managers?
How could they not get the DW library? As little as it is, it is still worth a ton.
It is a very respectable library. Starting with Dreamworks’ first title 9 years back, THE PEACEMAKER, with b-listers Nicole “Cruise” Kidman and George “Dr. Ross” Clooney.
Say, whatever happened to those two?
Yeah, I still don’t understand why Paramount wouldn’t retain the Dreamworks library. Is it not one of the key assets?
In other news, if it’s true that Andrew Adamson is getting a Peter Jackson-esque eight-figure deal to direct PRINCE CASPIAN…he’s the luckiest bastard in Hollywood. Because LWW could have been just as successful with any of a dozen other directors.
Andrew Adamson is the new luckiest New Zealand director in the world.
Unluckiest? Uh, Lee Tamahori.
(according to http://www.defamer.com anyway)
I don’t get any of these studio stuffs. Maybe this will cheer myself and some people up:
http://towleroad.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/bb3.jpg
Paramount was legendary back in the ’70’s. They’ve been struggling ever since.
They needed a change. Whether this helps, I don’t have a clue.
Adamson is not directing CASPIAN, try co-writer and producer. And Tamahori is not the unluckiest – he’s worth a mint, got a hot chickadee and knows there’s more to life than film. If you want unlucky NZ directors try Vincent Ward whose RIVER QUEEN may see him directing beer commercials again.
Tamahori isn’t crying over his life.
Adamson is not directing CASPIAN. Try co-writer, producer and director. Please read the entire press release before you comment.
“Adamson is not directing CASPIAN, try co-writer and producer.”
Well, okay then. My earlier comment was based on this:
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – A sequel to the wildly successful movie “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe” is set to begin production later this year, with Andrew Adamson returning as director.
^ I meant to say he IS directing Caspian.
“Adamson is not directing CASPIAN. Try co-writer, producer and director. Please read the entire press release before you comment.”
Okay, now I’m *really* confused… not directing… but director?
Also from the same article, which is headlined “Director, cast returning for ‘Narnia’ sequel” — “About Adamson returning, Granat added, “To me, the most exciting aspect of all of this is that there is so much that Andrew wanted to express and do in the first film, and now he’ll have a chance to.””
Also: “There is a synergy of sorts in having Adamson direct the “Narnia” movies as the books’ lore describe the saviors of the land as the sons of Adam.”
(And sheesh, if I’m wrong, I’m wrong… no need to be snotty about it. My info was from THR, it’s not like I made it up.)
“I meant to say he IS directing Caspian.”
:: sigh ::
Sorry, then. I thought you were responding to me.
No, I was responding to Jeffrey Boam’s Doctor’s uncalled for snotty comment.
A reminder about Paramount: not only were they the hot studio of the early 70s (the Evans years) but they were arguably the hottest studio throughout the ’80s. They released Top Gun, the Star Trek Films, the Indiana Jones trilogy, Flashdance, Bevery Hills Cop, 48 Hours, Terms of Endearment, An Officer and a Gentleman. And Crocodile Dundee, too!
Uncalled for snotty comment? I simply corrected an error from Jeffs post. Nothing snotty about it.
Who are you – SuperBigNosy Man? or MindYourOwnDamnBusiness Man?
So, is he directing it or not? Because now I’m super confused.
Wrectum comments “Please read the entire press release before you comment.”
Now thats a snotty comment you ignoramus.
Adamson is directing Narnia, so you’re not only rude, but you’re wrong.
What’s with the insults, little man?
Par is selling off the live action part of the DreamWorks library. DreamWorks Animation (“Shrek” et al) stays with Par.
Not only is Adamson directing the Narnia sequel, he’s getting a cut of that film’s grosses as well. It was reported by Variety.
Someone tell me this isn’t a promotion for Snider…she barely deserves to keep a job, let alone a promotion…
Poor Dave, still hanging his dreams on some Byzantine Munich comeback scenario. Spielberg positioned right behind Ang? Only in your dreams. Heath Ledger running a distant 4th? Puh-leeze. Clooney not even remotely in the running for Screenplay? “Crash” is likely, but not a Lock. Sorry Senor Poland, but Actress is in more contention than Picture or Director are; mere wishing isn’t enough to make it otherwise.
If you don’t think Tamahori’s crying today, you didn’t read that Defamer article.
Are action directors who become transvestites the new black?
Speaking of Tamahori…..
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/02/02/060203014239.ygp5w1s5.html
Here’s an interesting song that I just found on IMDb board. It’s called “Bill” by Peggy Scott Adams. Do you guys know this song?
Here’s a part of it:
…Listen, There are no words that can describe, what I felt inside
When I found out the man I loved loved another guy
We were at a party, Oh to have a little fun
But when I looked around my-my man was missing
I walked outside, I couldn’t believe my eyes
He was in Bill’s arms breathin hard and french kissin
I was ready for Mary, Susan, Helen and Jane
When all the time it was Bill who was sleeping with my man
Bill has been to my house a thousand times
He and my man would go camping and fishing
Oh I tell you it never crossed my mind
Bill was a friend and he was God Uncle to my only son
Now it looks Uncle Billy wants to be his step-mom …
Just want to share. Now back to your discussion.
If Johnny Cash had recorded this it could have been another “Boy Named Sue”.
The Tamahori story is quite possibly the funniest shit I’ve ever heard (not really, but it IS a riot). I mean, seriously… that’s bonkers. At least Wachowski isn’t prostituting himself of street corners! I spose that’s what he gets for directing that really bad Bond movie.
With the Oscars, BP is indeed between BBM and Crash, but I just think BBM has too much going for it to NOT win. And it’s not like Crash has an advantage of having earned more money, cause as of, i dunno, sometime this week, Brokeback will officially be the highest grossing Best Picture nominee of the year. Strange, but indeed true.
Geez man. The Tamahori thing…
But still not as shockingly bad as that shitty CGI parasailing shot in DIE ANOTHER DAY.
What is a person like Tamahori doing? He has money. He can’t get a hotel room and order up an escort for this? Terrible.
hah, the opening scene of Die Another Day was just the tip of a very large iceberg of awfulness. My favourite bit of stupidity came when everyone is so casually dressed in an ice building (that was it wasn’t it? why did it melt if it wasn’t?)
If the characters from “Once Were Warriors” could see Tamahori now… (er, i know they’re fictional but whatever)
Personally, I think Tamahori was just doing research for THE EDDIE MURPHY STORY!
Eddie wasn’t wearing womens clothes when he got picked up.
He was just giving her a ride!
Ah those New Zealanders can party. I’ve visited there once. An eleven year old New Zealander could out drink me. Those people know how to party.
I know this is from an earlier post, but yeah I think Crash for Screenplay is not an all a lock. What also might give Clooney the upper angle is he’s available. Giamatti is doing a movie in Toronto.
Action directors are sickos man!
Hopefully Jim Cameron’s long rumored gerbil feltching won’t make headlines until after Battle Angel or Avatar.
Gerbils? I thought that was Richard Gere’s thing???
any thread that starts off with ‘big mommas house 2’ brad grey and ‘crash’, moves on to tamahori’s drag queen arrest and culminates with gerbils is ‘A’ in my book.
Syriana’s got a better chance now that it’s not competing against Brokeback or Munich. Does anyone know why it was moved from Adapted to Original?
They didn’t think it took enough from the source material to be Adapted.
It’s not beating out “Crash”. That’s almost a lock right now.
Good call, Amer.
Variety is the spice of life.
“Eddie wasn’t wearing womens clothes when he got picked up. He was just giving her a ride!”
Dude, it was a joke. Don’t overthink it!
New Zealand. Never been. After this I don’t know if I want to.
If Tamahori had just done that on screen he would have probably snared an Oscar nomination this year.
hahah, so true grand.
Crash is nowhere near a lock for Screenplay when against Good Night & Good Luck when the latter is written by George Clooney. Supporting Actor could still go anyway (Matt Dillon perhaps?!) so they may vote for Clooney in screenplay – plus, GN&GL is the more well-liked film.
And, yes, the gerbil thing is indeed Richard Gere – they even mention it in the original “Scream”!