Saturday Hot Links
Yet another edition of Saturday Hot Links. Today wrapped up in a piping hot calzone!
First in a recent Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) interview, George Clooney drops some F-bombs in lamenting not getting Brad Pitt’s role in Thelma & Louise:
More George Clooney as he and Alexander Payne promote The Descendants and adult dramas.
It’s been way too long since Whit Stillman made a movie (1998 to be exact). His new one Damsels in Distress is drawing raves.
Flavorwire: 10 online alterna-dictionaries for your defining pleasure.
The original 1984 Ghostbusters will be returning to theaters this Halloween. But will John Hodgman replace Bill Murray in Ghostbusters 3?
THR provides helpful tips to newbie stars and starlets about secret spots inside LAX.
TIFF announcement: David Chase (“The Sopranos”) will make his movie debut (Twylight Zones) in October 2012. Ba-da-bing!
TIFF news: CBS Films drops a cool $5M to acquire the rights to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, starring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt, directed by Lasse Halström, and screenplay by Simon Beaufoy (from a novel by Paul Torday).
TIFF news: Doc filmmakers buoyed by action at the festival.
TIFF takeaway: Oscars, Sex and Movie Sales.
Screenwriter-playwright Jose Rivera tells ICM bye-bye.
Total Film: The 40 worst movie posters ever.
Looks like the Lone Ranger may yet ride again.
Chris Keyser, who created the TV series “Party of Five,” is now in charge of a party of about 10,000 as he is elected president of the WGA, west.
One of Hollywood’s hottest screenwriters is Max Landis and here he talks about one of his projects Frankenstein [video].
Kevin Costner passed on Tarantino’s upcoming Django Unchained.
SAG member cops a plea on screener leak.
Top free 20 book apps of the week.
Reactions of some people who saw a surprise 8 minute trailer of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Author Chuck Wendig believes writers will benefit creatively by playing RPG games. If that isn’t an excuse to avoid writing, I don’t know what is! Thanks, Chuck!
Patrick Goldstein with an excellent take on why Contagion is resonating with the American public.
Not sure if this is good news or bad news, but the script for the movie version of “Baywatch” is “not based on the show in any way” says screenwriter Peter Tolan.
Jack Nicholson’s Hollywood Hills home damaged by fire.
10 books to help you feel like you went to college… without going to college.
New Regency scores a cool $500M in financing. Always good to see. Means more work for writers.
Ten mockumentaries that aren’t Spinal Tap.
The Winklevoss twins poke fun at Facebook in a pistachio commercial [video].
Speaking of which Americans spent 53 billion minutes on Facebook in May.
Perhaps that helps to explain this: For the first time in Nielsen’s history, there was a year-over-year decline in the number of U.S. households with at least 1 TV.
Perhaps this will raise those TV numbers: An all Simpsons network?
Let’s say you win an Academy Award for screenwriting. You cash that in by taking all sorts of glamorous writing gigs, right? Not if you’re Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious), who wrote and directed the indie movie Violet & Daisy which is described as “the oddest movie you could possibly imagine.”
No way! There’s a real live Tatooine planet with two suns!
Screenwriter sues to stop release of a movie… from a screenplay he wrote… based on his own novel.
And another writer lawsuit to stop a movie’s release: Harlan Ellison goes after In Time.
Yet more jurisprudence. Remember the dude who sued CAA and WME for millions because he hadn’t sold any of his scripts? He’s bbbbaaaaaaacccckkkkk!
Here’s an interview with Martha Marcy May Marlene directer Sean Durkin.
40 shocking comic book moments.
For 25 years, John Boswell was a story analyst for Paramount working with studio heads from Robert Evans to Larry Mark. Boswell died this week at the age of 91.
And let’s end with a double dip of George Clooney talking about his new movie Gravity:
Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: You have two bites at the apple… core that is. As in Core VII: Theme and Core II: Concept, part of the comprehensive screenwriting curriculum at SMC. I’ll be teaching Core VII starting September 19 while Tom will teach Core II beginning October 3. Each is a 2-week online course and they offer excellent professional insight in the craft of screenwriting. And for GITS readers, a special 10% discount [when you enroll use code: Discount10]. Learn what you need to know to write a professional quality script. Take the Core curriculum at SMC. For more information, go here.