Saturday Hot Links
Time for the 215th installment of Saturday Hot Links, the week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and more.
2016 Writers Guild Awards: Nominations Announced For Television, New Media, News, Radio and Promotional Writing.
Oscars: Breaking Down 7 Grim Themes of 40 Contending Screenplays.
Announced: The 2015 Hit List.
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards announced.
British Film Independent Awards announced.
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards announced.
National Board of Review Awards announced.
New York Film Critics Circle Awards announced.
What the Gotham Awards Say About the Oscar Race.
IMDb’s Annual Top 10 Movies and Top TV Shows.
Sundance 2016 Competition Lineup Unveiled, Over 40% Directed by Women.
Sundance Announces Competition and NEXT Lineups, Featuring Returning Favorites and a Secret Director.
9 Hidden Gems from the 2016 Sundance Lineup.
Bill Murray’s Rock the Kasbah Was Forbes’s Least Profitable Film of 2015.
Palm Springs Film Festival to Screen 40 of the 80 Oscars Foreign-Language Entries.
2016 Slamdance Film Festival Lineup Emphasizes Global Reach.
9 Hidden Gems from the 2016 Sundance Lineup.
‘Creed,’ ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ and the Rise of the Nostalgia Sequel.
Mike Medavoy on Producing the Original ‘Rocky’ and How the Film Industry Has Changed.
This 1976 Memo From a Studio Executive Marks the Moment Someone Knew Star Wars Would Be a Hit.
5 Technical Breakthroughs in Star Wars that Changed Movies Forever.
‘Hamilton’ Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda Has Contributed Music To ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’.
George Lucas on His ‘Divorce’ From ‘Star Wars’: ‘Now I’m Faced With This Awkward Reality’.
Carrie Fisher Pressured to Lose Weight for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’.
4 Female Directors And 3 Female Writers Take Meetings For Upcoming ‘Star Wars’ Films.
Toshiro Mifune Turned Down Obi Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader Roles.
‘Star Wars’ Hunts for Han Solo: Disney Sees 2,500 Actors to Fill One Vest.
‘Star Wars’-Themed Movie Theater Opens in Nebraska.
Steven Spielberg Will Not Recast Indiana Jones.
How franchises changed Hollywood.
China Box Office Hits $6.3 Billion for 2015, Marking 48 Percent Yearly Growth.
Fox Shuts Down Report of Bear Rape in ‘The Revenant’.
Killing the Spirit of Fear: How Female Action Heroes Can Help Women Live Courageously.
Secret Meeting Of Hollywood Leaders Proposes “Gender Parity Stamp” Of Approval For TV, Movies.
Pixar Dominates Annie Awards Nominations With ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Good Dinosaur’.
Why Pete Docter’s NYFCC Award Winner ‘Inside Out’ Was So Tough to Make Into Must-See Pixar.
How ‘Sanjay’s Super Team,’ Pixar’s First Indian-Themed Short, Was Born.
Every Pixar Short Film, Ranked From Worst to Best.
LeBron James Scores $15M Warner Bros. Investment for Entertainment Studio.
Neil Gaiman Says Marvel Turned Down Guillermo Del Toro’s ‘Doctor Strange’ Pitch.
Michael Caine Reveals Christopher Nolan Has a Secret Script in the Works.
Barbra Streisand to Direct Catherine the Great Biopic (2014 Black List topper).
Writers? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Writers, Says Alibaba Pictures VP.
The Predator Sequel Has a Script. But Do Audiences Still Want This?
LA Movie Producer Missing Since Before Thanksgiving.
Missing VFX Producer Found Safe in Mexico.
As the Gotham Awards Turn 25, Here’s How the Indie Landscape Has Changed.
‘Tangerine,’ ‘Queen of Earth’ and More of the Best Indies of 2015 Coming to Netflix This December.
The 11 Indie Films You Must See This December: ‘The Hateful Eight,’ ‘Anomalisa’ and More.
The 9 Indies to Watch on VOD This December: ‘The Wannabe,’ ‘Life’ and More.
Visit Mollywood, the Mormon independent film industry.
Hitchcock/Truffaut Is Not Just for Film Buffs.
The Ultimate Trip: 100 Behind-The-Scenes Photos From Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY’.
Feature: Matt Charman, Bridge of Spies screenwriter.
The 20 Best Movie Posters Of 2015.
The Shadow: A hundred years of Orson Welles.
This Never-Before-Released Studio Ghibli Masterpiece is Hitting Theaters in January.
Movie Ratings: Sex Remains Top Concern for American Parents, Not Violence.
Turner, WME/IMG Christen New TBS eSports League.
HBO’s The Leftovers is the best TV show you’re not watching.
Netflix’s $12M Oscars Gamble: How to Keep ‘Beasts of No Nation’ Alive.
How Hollywood Gossips About Netflix’s Hidden Ratings.
On Fargo, The Leftovers, and the Renewed Energy of a Good Second Season.
How Patton Oswalt Joined The Cast of The New ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’.
Disney’s Slow Drip of Lost Cable Subscribers Could Soon Put Netflix on Top.
9 Things I Learned About Indie TV Series While Watching My Own Bomb.
Broadway Box Office: Thanksgiving Attendance Hits New High.
PopeBars: Twitter Users Write Lyrics for Image of Pope Francis with Microphone.
A Stanza-By-Stanza Poetic Critique Of Kobe Bryant’s ‘Dear Basketball’.
Duplass Brothers Sign Book Deal for Essay Collection.
Morrissey’s Debut Novel Wins 2015 “Bad Sex in Fiction” Award.
The 10 Best Books by Academic Publishers of 2015.
The Huffington Post Editorial Staff Calls For Union Recognition.
Mark Zuckerberg Pledges to Give Wealth to Charity.
Plight of the Funny Female: Why people tend to appreciate men’s humor so much more than women’s.
Women In Music 2015: The 50 Most Powerful Executives in the Industry.
Craig Mazin: An Appreciation of Ted Cruz’s College Roommate.
Liz Meriwether: What It’s Like to Live and Die by TV Ratings.
Billy Mernit: My Life as a Woman.
Anne Thompson: How to Make a Ten Best List in Five Easy Steps.
Chicks Who Script: Episode 67.
Scriptnotes: Episode 226.
Watch: Benedict Cumberbatch Goes “Full” Otter As a Bewildered Johnny Depp Looks On [video].
Watch: Women Don’t Talk Much in “Star Wars” [video].
Watch: All Six ‘Star Wars’ Movies in Just Six Minutes [video].
Watch: The Upright Citizens Brigade Gang Has a New Comedy Home [video].
Watch: 37-Minute ‘The Big Short’ Talk With Adam McKay, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, And Christian Bale [video].
Watch: Nick Offerman Sits By a Fire Drinking Scotch For 45 Minutes [video].
Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: Private Script Workshops!
Imagine having your very own private script workshop. A structured environment with content and a schedule tailored to meet your specific creative needs. Your own unique online course site. And a one-on-one mentor relationship with a professional screenwriter and educator.
You can do this through Screenwriting Master Class.
Perhaps all you need is a 4-week rewrite workshop to add more depth to a couple of characters in your script and polish the overall dialogue.
Maybe you have gotten through a few drafts of your story, but you need to do a page 1 rewrite.
You could have already worked out your story and want guidance during the first draft process.
Or you’re starting with a concept and want to do prep and page-writing.
Maybe you are a beginner looking to learn the essentials of screenwriting and end up with a finished screenplay.
At Screenwriting Master Class, we can create private script workshops to match up with your individual goals as a writer.
Since launching SMC in 2010, Tom Benedek and I have worked with writers of all backgrounds and interests in the context of numerous private script workshops. Here are testimonials from two:
“Working with Scott in SMC’s private workshop was an invaluable experience. The private workshop gave me the attention I needed to address my script’s problem. I was so impressed with the quality of his teaching, the way the course was structured and the interactive process. In the end, not only did Scott help me solve my character problem, he elevated my script as a whole. He is a wonderful mentor and I learned a lot about the craft of screenwriting.” — Gladys Stone, screenwriter of “Tulio” (Semifinalist, Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition)
“Working with Scott in a private workshop arrangement through SMC greatly accelerated my screenwriting knowledge and craftsmanship. Scott is a most dynamic, gifted and generous educator. He offered a holistic, character-driven approach to story that helped bring out my best as a writer. The flexible syllabus of the mentorship invites exploration of creative impulses without fear of losing direction or purpose. The script on which Scott consulted placed in the top one percent of the 2011 AFF screenwriting competition and has opened industry doors. Most importantly the SMC has cemented lasting self confidence in my abilities as a writer.” — Gyan Alexander, screenwriter of “Convinced” (Seminfinalist, Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition)
People who have done private script workshops through Screenwriting Master Class include professional screenwriters, best-selling non-fiction authors, playwrights, and novelists, as well as beginning, intermediate and advanced writers.
One popular approach: Combine Prep: From Concept to Outline, Pages I: The First Draft, and Pages II: Rewriting Your Script enabling you to take a story from its inception all the way through final polish — all with a knowledgeable mentor.
Here are three big reasons to consider an SMC private script workshop:
* Writing a screenplay involves making thousands of choices about characters, plot, theme and so forth. Wouldn’t it be helpful to have feedback from a professional to help steer you through the process enabling you to avoid huge story pitfalls that could derail your scripting process?
* Writing a screenplay is a thankless, lonely job. Wouldn’t it be great to have the ongoing support of a professional to enable you to overcome inevitable story problems and emotional downswings?
* Writing a screenplay is a mystery. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to learn proven principles and practices from a professional with years of experience working in the entertainment industry, an approach to writing you can use again and again on your future stories?
For more information, contact us here.
Tom and I look forward to the opportunity to work with you.