Saturday Hot Links
Time for the 184th installment of Saturday Hot Links!
Today: The We Remember Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” Edition.
The Writers Lab for Women Over 40 — Applications Available Now.
Related: How Hollywood Keeps Out Women.
Related: Why Female Directors Almost Never Get Blockbuster Gigs.
Critics Pick the Best Movies at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.
Here Are the Best Answers From Vince Gilligan’s Reddit AMA.
10 Things We Learned From Carlton Cuse’s AMA.
“Roots” is returning to television with new, updated miniseries.
Here are the winning writers on the inaugural Aussie List.
NYU’s Black List-Inspired Purple List Announces 2015 Winners.
What Robert Downey Jr. Got Wrong In His 172 Words About Independent Film.
‘San Andreas’ to Adjust Promotional Materials After Nepal Earthquake.
The Heart of Teaching: What It Means to be a Great Teacher.
What’s Behind the Decline of the Celebrity Talk Show.
Related: Conan Writes a Touching Tribute to the Off-Kilter and Revolutionary Comedy of David Letterman.
David Letterman: 33 Years in Latenight by the Numbers.
The Second-Person Point of View: Give Your Story a New Perspective.
Why Dead Poets Society’s Sets Were Burnt Down After One Day.
The Dissolve [podcast]: Episode 35.
The Moment [podcast]: Beau Willimon (“House of Cards”)
Scriptnotes [podcast]: Episode 195.
Tesla Energy is Elon Musk’s battery system that can power homes, businesses, and the world.
7 Ways Finland Gets Education Right.
Ed Wood’s “Plan 9” Studio Is for Sale.
What’s So Great About Young Writers?
An Ode to the Lost World of the Film Projection Booth.
The Five Most Valuable Gold Coins in the World.
Watch the History of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 13 Minutes [video].
How Did the Donkey & Elephant Become Political Mascots?
8 Westerns Not Set In The Old West.
What Are The Colored Circles on Food Packages?
Nathan Rabin Leaves The Dissolve.
A Kurt Cobain Solo Album Is Coming This Summer.
‘Boyhood’ Producer John Sloss on a Possible Sequel, How to Release Films Yourself and the Scene Heading Into Cannes.
Texting a Stranger During Surgery Can Reduce Your Need for Meds.
Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Cat’s Cradle’ to Be Developed as TV Series By IM Global.
16 Fun Facts About ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’.
Talent Agency Wars: Who’s Winning, Who’s Losing After CAA Defections.
How Chewing Gum Prevents Songs From Getting Stuck in Your Head.
The 12 Indie Films You Must See This May.
How American Homes Have Changed Since 1973.
17 Things About The Film Biz That Should Significantly Influence Your Behavior.
Rugby Players’ Teeth Are Being Replaced With Implants That Work as Bottle Openers [video].
The First Horror Movie Filmed Entirely in Antarctica.
When Daydreaming Replaces Real Life.
Is This Yoda in a 14th Century Manuscript?
Meet the $300,000-a-Pop Stud That’s Dominating U.S. Horse Racing.
Weirdly related: 12 Bizarre Facts About The History of Birth Control.
Why are rom-coms no longer mainstream?
Dance of neurons: How brain cell vibrations could help treat diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Top 12 Entertainment Law Schools Revealed.
An Extensive Guide to Growing Vegetables [infographic].
Why 1974 was the best year in film history.
How Many Trees Are There in the Amazon?
Judge wants $10 million set aside for possible award in Fifty Shades lawsuit.
How 50 Texas Cities Got Their Names.
Hulu Sets Mammoth ‘Seinfeld’ Licensing Deal.
Related: Hulu Bets on Ambitious Slate to Catch Up to Competition.
Just 43 homes on the market affordable for first-time buyers in London.
China to Invest in Sequel to Russia’s Top Grossing Film of 2014.
You Could Own This Idyllic (But Haunted) Ghost Town.
53-Minute Tribeca Talk With Harvey Weinstein About Quentin Tarantino, ‘Good Will Hunting,’ And More [audio].
Elite Universities Are Turning Our Kids Into Corporate Stooges.
16 Cool Facts About Glaciers.
Tony Awards Nominations Announced.
Why Cloudy Days Help Us Think More Clearly.
How 3D Printing Has Revolutionized Stop-Motion Animation.
Bizarre New Dinosaur Discovered in Chile.
Movie Ticket Prices Drop in First Quarter of 2015.
Watch This Full-Size LEGO Car [video].
The 8 Essential Films Of Preston Sturges.
Ben E. King, Singer of ‘Stand By Me,’ Dead at 76.
Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: Obviously the odds are against us. All writers. Pro. Aspiring. It’s damn competitive. Everywhere. All the time.
So we do what we can to give ourselves a leg up on the competition. We watch movies and analyze them. We read scripts and break them down. We write pages. And pages. And more pages.
Sometimes, however, we need more. We need someone experienced in the business and practice of writing to facilitate our learning curve. Steer us in a creatively profitable direction.
If you’re going to spend your time and money with an online writing resource, I honestly believe there is no better value than SMC.
Take for instance an item from today’s Saturday Hot Links:
Here are the winning writers on the inaugural Aussie List.
Near the top of that list is this project:
ALTERNATE ENDING
Writer: Michael Noonan
A political candidate sees the movie version of his life and realizes he’s going to be assassinated.
Michael broke that story in one of SMC’s Prep workshops, then worked on his logline in the Story Summaries course.
Check out our schedule of courses in the upcoming weeks:
May 4: Craft: Joss Whedon — Creating Characters (Tom Benedek)
May 11: Craft: Write a Worthy Nemesis (Scott Myers)
May 18: Pages TV: Original Pilot Script Workshop (Tom Benedek)
May 25: Craft: Scene Description Spotlight (Scott Myers)
June 1: Craft: TV — Writing the Web Series (Tom Benedek)
June 8: Prep: From Concept to Outline (Scott Myers)
June 15: Pages II: Rewriting Your Script (Tom Benedek)
June 22: Pages I: Writing the First Draft (Scott Myers)
As I always say, you don’t have to spend a dime to learn how to write a screenplay, but the courses we offer can go a long way in helping you master the craft.
Tom and I have over 60 years experience working in the movie and TV business. Over 20 years experience teaching. Plus a passion for stories and storytellers.
If you are looking for an online writing resource to help take your writing to the next level, consider Screenwriting Master Class.
We look forward to the opportunity to work with you!