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
your ear is tuned to these rumblings, DP, what are the chances NPH gets the hosting gig this year? Are his chances made stronger by being the only good thing about last year’s show?
Or will they go with Steve Martin being the host solo again? I can’t see them bringing back Stewart or Rock or Crystal or Goldberg. I don’t think anyone is really interested in Colbert hosting.
also, just occured to me, if they are worried about the show running long, they should stop worrying. the audience has not been steadily declining because the show is so long (its been steadily declining because the movies have been less and less relevant to the movies the nation-at-large are actually aware were made and released in the last year). The audience that thinks the show is so long only cares about five categories. There is no Big Eight for the majority of the people watching the oscars, there are only the acting categories and best picture. So if they want to shorten the show, they only need to keep five categories, they can spin off the rest of the show into a sci-tech esque soiree with best director being the pinnacle of the night.
But guess what. If you only have five categories you don’t have enough to make an entire show. The other twenty categories are not just filler, they’re bones and sinew of the show and are necessary to make the oscars into the event that they are.
People are tuning in for spectacle and moviestars and movies. it’s meant to be a big show, and if they try to hack it down to nothing they lose what the show itself means and why it matters. they can get rid of the damn interpretive dancing, don’t really need the songs sung, but some of those tributes to movies past have been really excellent. Occasionally they have a really cool segment and way of presenting the tech and craft categories, I’m thinking of YoYoMa and Itzak Perlman given five minutes to play the themes from the five nominated scores that year. That sort of thing is most excellent.
There is ZERO chance of Neil Patrick Harris ever hosting the Oscars unless he becomes a major movie star.
In my opinion, 15 awards or so in 3 hours is plenty. But the politics say that there will never be a cut in the number of awards handed out on air… unless something very drastic were to happen to the TV contract.
movielocke, do you REALLY think the NPH bit was the best part of the show last year?
And I say this as an NPH fan (to the point where I’ve watched every mediocre season of HIMYM), but that number was middling at best.
Neil Patrick Harris is the only one to host that thing unless, unless they bring back this man. http://whatwouldtotowatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/coyote.jpg
BRING BACK MC KEYS! The 2000 ceremonies remains the best one in ages. Nothing has touched it. Seriously, guys, it’s okay go to a little heterosexual with the Oscars. It’s okay.
Robert Downey Jr. and Anne Hatheway, two great looking stars with prescence and an easy comedic style (plus you can pull a song out of Hatheway). If Hatheway’s unavailable or looks like she might be nominated (I think Downey is a safe bet to be nomination free this year), just think of how many people would tune in to see Sandra Bullock host.
Robert Downey Jr would be very interesting but do the Oscars want to be interesting? The last few producers did one interesting thing, Tony up the Oscars, and that show is still the worst of my entire life. If they want to make them interesting have the biggest stars away like RDJ host and let them have a personality. If not, then, just call up Alan Cumming and let’s Queer as Folk this mother fadder!