May 12, 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
I actually saw a Blu-Ray of “The Dark Knight” at a Safeway here in Northern California and actually thought to myself, “Jeez, everyone must have a Blu-Ray player now if they’re selling the disks in Safeway.” So, yeah. They’re out there.
And truth be told it’s really smart because stores like Best Buy and target are complete clusterfucks this time of year. I went to a Target to get my “The Dark Knight” Blu-Ray and it was sold out where I went. Then I went to Best Buy, grabbed one and waited a good 15 mins to purchase it.
I never play the holiday season shopping game so had I known I could go down the street to get a Blu-Ray….I would have in a heartbeat.
WB has international rights on “Benjamin Button”, thus Par is not totally on the hook.
Outlandish prediction: Sony folds SPC distribution into Columbia/Screen Gems distribution. If WB can do it with New Line, Sony can do it with SPC.
GE could find a buyer for UMG in a week, but nowhere near the price they want as its only value is in assests. Zucker is one of top players in GE corporate hierarchy and not simply head of the UMG division. Everything he does – Dreamworks, Leno – should be seen through the prism of how it keeps his job in tact. Nothing is being done with an altruistic eye towards improving the company. I don’t understand the disdain for Grey when Zucker has done a far worse job.
How many consumers do you think are accidently picking up the BR of Dark Knight thinking it will work in their regular DVD player? I’d guess, quite a few. I don’t think that Blu Ray, as a competing home video format, is all that well known outside of the geek and home theater crowd.
I’d guess not many. The format has been out for two whole years now, and doesn’t even have to compete with a confusing step-brother format anymore. All of the older buyers I see at Best Buy appear to know the difference. Not to mention that advertisements for a full year now have illustrated the difference.
Tofu I think you are vastly under estimating the ignorance of consumers. I bet a lot of people are at home watching Blu-rays on tvs that can’t even show 720p. Electronic companies have done a lousy job of explaining HD and Sony has done a worse job explaining what additional features they get when getting a blu-ray. For all of Sony’s crowing about a good season of sales for the PS3 I think it’s mostly junk. I visit local gaming stores and everybody is crowded around the 360/wii section. If they don’t find a way to cut the price on that thing to around $200 they will lose this generation of console wars. Hell I don’t think Blu-ray will catch on until Apex sells a $100 version at walmart. It’s also concievable, if net neutrality remains in tact, that physical media gets bypassed all together. I can stream some pretty damn good movies via netflix. Why wait for a disc in the mail?
My local Blockbuster is selling a Blu-Ray player for $199.
Not a brand name, but still…
Is that the Cloondog on “The Facts of Life?”
Hey Dave,
Just a couple of comments: A) $400 BD players? Where are you shopping? $200-250 (and falling) is pretty much the standard right now for name brands and for anyone buying a new LCD, there are countless BD bundles to choose from. B) 1080P streaming TV is good in theory but it only applies to handful of actual shows right now. Moreoever not everyone, even with an LCD, can afford to pay for digital satellite. With BD disc prices already falling below $20, it will be here to stay for a long while.