This came via e-mail with a 5mg attachment that I can’t recreate on the blog. But interesting…
November 20, 2007
Dear Broadcast Film Critic member,
We are pleased to send you a downloadable MP3 of
Susu on: The Letters From Iwo Jima review
Krillian on: 20 Weeks To Oscar: Rush To Poor Judgment?
Kristopher Tapley on: 20 Weeks To Oscar: Rush To Poor Judgment?
Kristopher Tapley on: 20 Weeks To Oscar: Rush To Poor Judgment?
Hallick on: 20 Weeks To Oscar: Rush To Poor Judgment?
Joe Parts on: Welcome To The Future
qbtqpidc on: Oscar Morning Coming Down
IOv3 on: 20 Weeks Extra: Could There Be One More Turn?
20 Weeks To Oscar: Rush To Poor Judgment?
20 Weeks Extra: Could There Be One More Turn?
see all »
[twitter-widget username="DavidPoland" hiderss="true" hidereplies="true" hidefrom="true" items="3" showts="60" title=" " targetBlank="true"][twitter-widget username="MCNTweets" hiderss="true" hidereplies="true" hidefrom="true" items="3" showts="60" title=" " targetBlank="true"]
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
What’s interesting, DP? It seems like a smart way to reach savvy BFCA voters.
I’m confused about how this song is eligible since it was on two different CDs before the film was released. Anyone want to enlighten me?
Can someone enlighten me on how “Falling Slowly” is eligible when it was on two different CDs before the film came out? I have no problems with it being nominated, but I thought the eligibility rules for songs were strict in that they had to be created specifically for the film.
I was about to say the same thing. While I love the song and the movie, it was a recorded and released on an album (THE SWELL SEASON) before the film.
Since Oscar music has some of the strictest criteria, I wouldn’t think it would be eligible.
What’s interesting is that in this paranoid age of piracy a major studio would choose to EMAIL an mp3 file to critics (that of course, could be forwarded to anyone they so choose).
“Falling Slowly” was written and recorded for the film in early ’96, and then the versions on THE SWELL SEASON album and the one Hansard recorded with The Frames were done. There was some talk about this during the summer as Searchlight was working with the Academy to determine which tunes were eligible, and the song passed the test since the song was written and recorded especially for the film, which just happened to be released after the other version–remember there was some doubt as to what type of release the film would receive, if any, so they hedged their bets and later included it in other works.
oops, I meant early ’06.
oops, I meant early ’06. In any event, there was an article I remember reading that cleared up the whole timeline.
It was written & recorded specifically for the film, along with several other tracks. I would also love to see “If you want me” or “when your mind’s made up” make the final cut. For once, the song category should be pretty crowded and competitive this year.
Actually, the only two tunes Searchlight is pushing per what’s printed on the awards screener are “Falling Slowly” and “If You Want Me”–I’m assuming they didn’t want to split the vote too much.
They must definitely not be worried about piracy… because Falling Slowly is available for download on the movie’s website!
Which I was more than delighted to discover after coming home from seeing the film last night! What a delightful story and beautiful music! More than worthy of the oscar for this song!!!
Movie music aside, discovering The Frames is an added bonus! I just picked up their two most recent albums from the library…
Yeah, the songs were written for the film, but because it took so long to get a release they received an album release beforehand.
Which is sort of the opposite of “Come What May”, which was written for Romeo + Juliet but never recorded and then it was for Moulin Rouge! and was deemed ineligible.