Happy Anniversary To Me…
I’ve written just under 3000 columns, representing about 3.5 million words. Those columns have been read no fewer than 50 million times. (And if I had a dollar for every
May 18, 2024
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Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
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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
Congrats… I have a lot of respect for anyone who can do what you do for as long as you have without going as crazy as you-know-who.
While you may not always be right and often attract idiotic posts from people that struggle to remain ignorant your site in every way kicks ass.
I am Spam Dooley and I Canoe!
Gratz Poland!
Maintaining, stimulating and growing a showbiz blog is no easy feat.
Spam Dooley: May Bill Clinton mistake you for an intern!
PLEASE! PLEASE! rerun that “spot the difference in the two pictures” thingy. Best moment on the blog ever!!
I feel like you cut and paste this column every year, but I still love reading it all the same.
I am Cadavra and I offer you heartiest congratulations! Now onward to the next nine!
Mazel Tov, and thanks for cutting through the crap everyone else takes for actual writing.
Congrats!
btw, you should totally celebrate by doing the blog equivalent of the fake EW Bond covers of yore.
Yes.. I want to see a picture of Poland circa 1997, like a Before and After thing. Just want to know how much damage I should expect from prolonged exposure to entertainment journalists. 🙂
Fine, fine. I’d like to see you make this a Lunch with Me topic: “‘Do I Need A Blog?’ I’m still wondering.”
Congratulations! You run a very good blog/service and even when I disagree with you I am glad you are here.
You should be required reading for any serious film fan (I recommend you to many) and I find you are more often than not, very good at reading through subtext and nuances of why things work the way they work in the industry.
You are also a better critic of film than perhaps you are given credit for.
Now go out, get hammered and shoot your next Lunch with Dave!
Nicol, you suck up. He’s “very good at reading through….” Coming from you this is almost an insult. And please, a critic? Do you read the real stuff?
Now go out, get hammered.
It’s been a fun ride since Rough Cut (Oh, News By The Numbers I miss you so.)
Congrats, Dave!
Congratulations.
Laura Rooney does the amusing quotes that accompany each news headline on the front page? I assumed that was DP because they seem to match your editorial content.
She is smart and the qoutes tend to reflect her take on the column each day…
I know it’s about you and somehow I made it about me.
You cannot image how thrilled I am to hear this about Paramount: an outlet of The Grill on the lot, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the soon-to-be-former Company Store, a Crunch in the Marathon Building — if you’ve ever tried to hold down a job on that lot, you’ll understand where I’m coming from.
“Television journalism is suffering mightily.” — thank God.
“if you wanted to take your cell phone out of America, you had to rent another phone in the country you visited.” A friend of mine had to get T-Mobile to use in Germany because Verizon wouldn’t work there.
And, “You are not only my source of income,” — I had no idea I was supporting you, this is very disturbing to me.
No readers = no money.
And so it goes…
He means he preys on our eyeballs.
Congrats Dave.
Party at Ammo?
So what’s the other source of income. Writing press releases? Fact-checking at the LA Weekly?
You’re on a good DP-rippin’ tear today, J-Mc.
Thanks for the gift.
You have no sense of humor about yourself, DP. I could have said flipping burgers, tending to Jeff Wells’ wounds…I think we would all be interested to know if you were doing anything like writing a screenplay or a book or something.
well don;t have a anniversary party at Ammo without me…but I’m only required in LA 6 or so times a year 🙁
congrats on the Blog surviving multiple personalities.
Yes, DP, you must end the corruptingly petty Hot Blog (aka fight club) today! Take us back to the pithy glory of The Hot Button and Reader of The Day. (Of course, you’ll now want to leave room for our reader comments on The Button)
*leaps behind the couch in a barrage of bullets*
Congratulations, David! I’ve been reading you regularly since 2002 (and here and there since the early days, even catching your guest hosting gig on Ebert). Thanks for your thoughts, thanks for even sharing a few of mine in the days of “Reader of the Day,” and thanks for keeping relevant through all these years (and change). Be reading ya!
Congratulations Mr. Poland. Many humble (but sincere) thanks from a movie fan on the other side of the world (Thailand). I’ve been a fan of your column, The Hot Button, since my college years. Your writing has given me a poignant view on Hollywood and has, most importantly, kept me informed on the movie world.
Yeah, Way to go Dave! I’ve only been coming here for a couple of years so it obviously hasn’t felt like 3.5million words.
Even when I disagree with you – or some boneheads who respond 😛 – it’s still good to drop by.
MCN is one of my fave sites on the net too.
I will always have at least some respect for you because you unashamedly praised The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I like your style!
Any man who thinks MUNICH is a better film than CAPOTE, CRASH and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN combined is “A” in my book.
That film was robbed.
“Once in awhile you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right” — Robert Hunter
Sums up my view of blogs in general.
Well done, DP. You provide a very unique perspective for this Wall Street focused media reader. Thanks.
Kamikaze, save that discussion for October when we can have the discussion all over again about how the Texas Chainsaw prequel is as crappy as its original.