Saturday Hot Links
Time for the 217th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other things of writerly interest.
For Your Consideration: Breaking Down the 2016 Oscar Race, Distributor By Distributor.
2015 is the Year When Genre Films Get Some Oscar Love.
Oscars: At Last, A Consensus Emerges in the Best Picture Race.
Oscars: Nine Films Advance in Foreign Language Film Race.
‘The Big Short’: Oscar Season Box Office Breakout or Another ‘Steve Jobs’.
305 Feature Films Eligible for the Oscars.
2016 Tribeca Film Festival Unveils New Program With Tom Hanks, Tina Fey and More.
Sundance Reveals 7 Late Additions to 2016 Lineup.
The Sundance Crunch: The Expense, Stress and Endless Work of Getting Ready for the 2016 Festival.
The 2015 AFI Awards Announced.
San Francisco Film Critics Award Winners Announced.
Critics’ Choice Awards Nominations: Complete List.
L.A. Weekly: Best Movies of the Year.
‘Star Wars’ Premieres in Hollywood to Wild Cheers of Nostalgia, Delight.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ premiere was the biggest thing Hollywood has ever seen.
Inside the ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ World Premiere and Party.
‘Star Wars: Force Awakens’ Gets Widest December Release of All Time.
‘Star Wars’ Box Office Holds the Key to a Record-Breaking 2015.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Rockets to Record $50 Million in Thursday Previews.
‘Star Wars’ Obliterates Single-Day Box Office Record With $120 Million.
Disney Stock Slips on Eve of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Wide Release.
How J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson Collaborated to Create the Future of Star Wars.
How Star Wars Began: As an Indie Film No Studio Wanted to Make.
From the Archives: George Lucas Tells the STAR WARS Origin Story.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Female Focus Is Firing Up Fans.
Star Wars: 11 Things ‘Aftermath’ Introduces to the Expanded Universe.
The Fight Over Star Wars and Racism in 1977.
Q&A: Carrie Fisher thinks slave Leia bikini haters are asinine.
See the Cast and Crew of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ in These 11 Indies.
We tried to make an entire meal using only Star Wars branded food.
The psychology of waiting in line to see Star Wars.
According to a Lawyer, Han Solo Had a Legal Right to Shoot Greedo First.
Hide from Star Wars: The Force Awakens spoilers with this free Chrome extension.
74 Things Every Great Star Wars Movie Needs.
The 50 greatest Star Wars scenes.
50 ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Rumors That Turned Out to Be Completely False.
You can listen to the score for Star Wars: The Force Awakens now.
‘Star Wars’ Legacy I: Five Iconic Directors Recall When George Lucas Changed Everything.
‘Star Wars’ Legacy II: An Architect Of Hollywood’s Greatest Deal Recalls How George Lucas Won Sequel Rights.
Guest Column: How J.J. Abrams Granted My Dying Husband’s Sci-Fi Wish.
Black-And-White Version Of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ May Get A Theatrical Release In 2016.
Paramount and Hasbro Plan Shared Universe for ‘G.I. Joe’, ‘M.A.S.K.’ and More.
Comparing Maternity and Paternity Leave at Hollywood Studios.
Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Relaunches as Amblin Partners.
‘Joy’ Producer John Davis Reveals Tales From a 30-Year Career.
‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘Top Gun,’ ‘Shawshank’ Enter National Film Registry.
Listen: Full Soundtrack For Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Hateful Eight’.
From Comedy to Drama: Evaluating 8 Filmmakers Who Made the Jump.
Young Moviegoers Drove 2015 Box Office Rebound.
PG-Rated Movies’ Share of Box Office Spiked in 2015.
Box Office’s New Normal in 2015: “You Can’t Cheat an Opening Weekend Anymore”.
German Box Office Sets Record in 2015.
Greece Logs Strong Box Office Returns Despite Turbulent Year.
Sony Sets Three Writers for ‘Barbie’ Movie.
Al Franken to Be Honored by Writers Guild of America East.
‘Fisher King’ Writer Richard LaGravenese to Be Honored by Writers Guild.
Feature: Taylor Sheridan, screenwriter, ‘Sicario’.
Charlie Kaufman Discusses His Brilliant-Sounding ‘Run Lola Run’-ish HBO Show that Never Was.
Buzzfeed Announces The First Class Of Their Emerging Writers Fellowship.
Top 5 Misconceptions Novice Screenwriters Have About Hollywood.
Todd McCarthy: The 10 Best Films of 2015.
TheWrap Critics Pick 10 Best Movies of 2015.
The 10 Most Underrated Movies of 2015.
The 10 Best Women-Directed Films of 2015.
The 12 Best Films About Girls and Women of 2015.
Best Of 2015: The 15 Best Trailers Of The Year.
The 16 Best Action Sequences Of 2015.
The 20 Best Documentaries Of 2015.
The 30 Best Scores & Soundtracks Of 2015.
The 50 best films of 2015 in the US.
The Most Brilliantly Feminist Moments of 2015.
11 Essential Modern Films About Revenge.
15 Great Horror Movies That Play on Gendered Fears.
What 21st Century Horror Movies Do Audiences Love the Most.
Predictions for 2016: Mergers, Spinoffs and More Donald Trump.
Ghibli Retrospective Kicks Off in NYC.
How Tall Are the New Movie Heartthrobs.
Is Hollywood finally a woman’s world too.
Meet your new Ghostbusters in these character posters.
A Hundred Years Later, “The Birth of a Nation” Hasn’t Gone Away.
‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’ Breaks Kickstarter Records, Funds Reboot.
Why Cable Companies Are Actually Expecting Subscriber Increases This Year.
Mark Burnett on Plans for MGM TV and Faith-Focused Digital Channel.
The sheer brilliance of Hallmark’s corny Christmas movies.
Why TV is Not the Answer for the Middle-Class Filmmaker.
2015: The Year Mental Illness Finally Got Some Respect on TV.
The 7 Biggest Reality TV Developments of 2015
The 10 Best Late-Night Moments of 2015.
The 10 Best New TV Shows of 2015.
The Breakout TV Performances of 2015.
The 50 Top Basic Cable Channels of 2015.
Larry Wilmore to Host 2016 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Inside Netflix’s Plan to Boost Streaming Quality and Unclog the Internet.
By Keeping Its Ratings Secret, Is Netflix Hurting the People Who Make Their Shows.
Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir to Produce Amazon Series About Band.
Amazon Orders 5 New Original Series.
Howard Stern Sticking With SiriusXM, Signs New Multi-Year Contract.
Get rich or die vlogging: The sad economics of internet fame.
Toting up the deaths by this and that in Shakespeare’s plays [infographic].
Reading Flannery O’Connor in the age of Islamophobia.
2015: Our Year in Poems.
The 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2015.
The 10 Best Art Books of 2015.
Bob Saenz: Yes Virginia, There is No Agent Fairy.
Chicks Who Script: Episode 69.
Scriptnotes: Episode 228 (Holiday Show).
The Best Storytelling Podcasts of 2015.
If Podcasts Are the New Blogs, Enjoy the Golden Age While It Lasts.
Watch: 7-Minute Video Essay Explores The Inspirations And Influences On ‘The Matrix’ [video].
Watch: 9-Minute Video Essay Explores The Individualism Of Frank Capra’s ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ [video].
Watch: 5 hours of Darth Vader Yule Log [video].
Watch: TV News Weather Girl Crams ‘Star Wars’ Puns Into 40-Second Forecast [video].
Watch: Behind the Circuits, a Spoiler-Free Mockumentary Look at BB-8’s Acting Career [video].
Watch: The Best Vimeo Videos of 2015 Will Blow You Away [video].
Watch: New Video Essay Looks At The Best Cinematography Of 2015 [video].
Watch: Macaulay Culkin’s ‘Home Alone’ Sorta-Sequel Reveals What Happened to Kevin McCallister [video].
Watch: Geena Davis on the “Tremendous Obstacles to Women’s Progress” [video].
Watch: Quentin Tarantino Reflects on His First Screenplay Ever and More on ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ [video].
Watch: Francis Ford Coppola Reflects on the Past, Present and Future of Cinema [video].
Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: Here is our just released schedule for the first six months of 2016:
January 4: Pages I: Writing the First Draft
presented by Tom Benedek
January 11: Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Scott Myers
January 18: Pages TV: Original Pilot Script Workshop
presented by Tom Benedek
January 25: Craft: Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling
presented by Scott Myers
February 1: Craft: The First 15 Pages
presented by Tom Benedek
February 8: Craft: Story Summaries
presented by Scott Myers
February 15: Craft: Writing the Low Budget Script
presented by Tom Benedek
February 22: Craft: Handling Exposition
presented by Scott Myers
February 29: Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Tom Benedek
March 7: Craft: Scene Description Spotlight
presented by Scott Myers
March 14: Craft: Character Driven Screenplay — Alexander Payne and David O. Russell
presented by Tom Benedek
March 21: Pages I: Writing Your First Draft
presented by Scott Myers
March 28: CRAFT TV: Writing the Original Pilot — 1 week class
presented by Tom Benedek
April 4: Craft: Character Development Keys
presented by Scott Myers
April 11: The First Draft — Introduction to Screenwriting
presented by Tom Benedek
April 18: Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Scott Myers
April 25: Craft: Joss Whedon — Creating Characters
presented by Tom Benedek
May 2: Craft: Create a Compelling Protagonist
presented by Scott Myers
May 9: Original Pilot Script Workshop
presented by Tom Benedek
May 16: Craft: Write a Worthy Nemesis
presented by Scott Myers
May 23: Craft: Writing Scenes — Sorkin to Tarantino
presented by Tom Benedek
May 30: Craft: The Coen Brothers and the Craft of Storytelling
presented by Scott Myers
June 6: Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Tom Benedek
June 13: Pages II: Rewriting Your Script
presented by Scott Myers
June 20: Pages I: Writing Your First Draft
presented by Tom Benedek
June 27: Core I: Plot
presented by Scott Myers
July 5: Craft: TV — Writing the Web Series
presented by Tom Benedek
If you’ve never tried an online course before, a great way to check it out is our 1-week Craft classes. Sign up for one or do what a lot of writers do: Enroll in the Craft Package which gives you immediate access to the content for all 8 of my Craft courses and automatic enrollment in each of the 1-week Craft classes, all for about 50% off the regular price.
For those of you thinking about entering the Zero Draft Thirty Challenge in March, pounding out a draft of an original screenplay in 30 days, consider my Prep: From Concept to Outline workshop which begins January 11. The timing is such you’ll finish breaking your story in prep right as the ZD30 challenge begins.
Jump start your writing with Screenwriting Master Class.
We look forward to the opportunity to work with you!