Saturday Hot Links
Time for the 129th installment of Saturday Hot Links.
Today: The “If You Haven’t Discovered Rhett and Link, Now’s The Time” edition.
“The Simpsons” pay tribute to David Letterman [video].
Related: Grantland on the departure of David Letterman.
Related: CBS hires Stephen Colbert to be Letterman’s replacement.
Related: Analysis of Colbert’s hiring. Thumbs up!
Related: Jon Stewart gets giggly talking about the Colbert move [video].
Related: 50 best Homer Simpson quotes of all time.
According to science, how to raise happy kids.
Watching at home as the new “fear of movies”.
7 fascinating facts about narwhals.
NBCU prevails in epic “Ghost Hunters” legal battle.
8 ordinary photos hiding mind-blowing details.
Jon Hamm (age 25) lost a 90s game show… and you can watch it [video].
The mainstreaming of mindfulness meditation.
20-minute “Siskel & Ebert” special on the films of Stanley Kubrick [video].
For those who have everything… DIY moonshine.
The 25 greatest movies never made.
Can Pussy Riot conquer Hollywood.
13 awesome and quirky commercials directed by Wes Anderson.
Technology’s man problem.
Why The Conversation should be required viewing at the NSA.
25 amazing facts for National Beer Day.
The Wolf of Wall Street as told only through the use of its 500 F-bombs [video].
Here’s something you don’t see every day: An Islamic sex cult.
Related: North Korea’s huge role in global meth trade.
The pilot episode of HBO’s new comedy series “Silicon Valley” available online for free [video].
This family went sugar-free for an entire year.
Veteran Hollywood actor Mickey Rooney dies at the age of 93.
Why scientists are trying to map every single neuron in the brain.
George Lucas’ lack of faith in Star Wars earned Steven Spielberg $40M.
Related: Peter Mayhew returns as Chewbacca in SW: EP VII.
Related: SW: EP VII reportedly already into production.
Real headline: “Boat full of marijuana washes up in Malibu.”
Related: “Massive flooding forces cancellation of Noah screening.”
10 female superhero movies Hollywood needs to greenlight right now.
How to avoid getting sick.
CAA promotes 8 to agent or executive.
11 fun word lists to drill your vocabulary on.
Why are Hollywood’s animated movies fulled of “racist stereotypes”.
The tune you will be hearing all summer: The Official 2014 World Cup Song.
Francis Ford Coppola: What I’ve learned.
A brief history of the movie post-credit sequence.
Your chance to own the K.I.T.T. car from “Knight Rider”… it’s for sale.
How crowdfunding helped rescue this NYC indie movie theater.
Related: Indiegogo is rebranding.
Best, Brightest and Rejected: Elite colleges turn away up to 95% of applicants.
50 movie sequels that were radically different.
Syfy orders “Olympus” mythological series.
Scarlett Johansson went to her high school prom with Lena Dunham’s boyfriend.
Yahoo making a move toward original programming.
The challenges of building a colony on Mars.
Same old, same old: White men directed 90% of this summer’s movies.
Related: Japanese female directors making their mark in a patriarchal industry.
6 traits humans inherited from fish.
Screenwriter James Dearden didn’t like the ending of Fatal Attraction, so he wrote a play with a new one.
Next month, a book with 145 drawings by Kurt Vonnegut to be released [slidewhow].
17 movies based on magazine or newspaper articles (and where to read them).
In honor of National Library Week (April 13–19), the Oxford University Press is making all of their online resources available for free.
Hot damn! Amy Poehler to play Tina Fey’s sister in upcoming movie “The Nest”.
Why the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is more relevant than ever.
Related: 7 tips from for documentary filmmakers from the Full Frame Film Festival.
Related: The best films of the 2014 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
The flip sides of famous album covers.
25 things you didn’t know about 2001: A Space Odyssey.
23 fun facts about “Firefly”.
20 things you might not have known about Gone with the Wind.
10 essential talking points for banana enthusiasts.
15 important films shot with a hand-held camera.
Scientists say Gospel of Jesus’ wife probably not fake.
Ah, Hollywood: Producer sues actress for refusing to film nude sex scene.
Prison crisis, Dutch style: Too few prisoners. So… legalize prostitution and pot?
15 years later, John August looks back on his movie Go.
Dozens laid off at Al Jazeera America.
Screenwriters and Mentors announced for the Hamptons International Film Festival Screenwriters’ Lab.
Why positive thinking may be harmful for some.
50 greatest fantasy movie characters.
Here are all the nominees for the 18th annual Webby Awards.
Emily Blake (Bamboo Killers) on the fear of failure.
11 unexpected reasons to cook with booze.
Which 2014 movies could reach $1B in box office revenues.
Determine which famous writer you write like. [I write like Cory Doctorow.]
Our favorite Heathers slang.
11 old golf rules that no longer exist.
Sony closes slate co-fi deal with Lone Star Capital and Citibank.
Related: Sony Pictures’ resident executive-minister reveals how religion has helped his career.
15 short stories you can read in 15 minutes.
Paramount is developing a Truman Show TV series.
9 great filmmaking tools for indie filmmakers from NAB.
Columbia University announces Blue List screenwriting competition winners.
Troubling trend continues: The third Divergent book will be split into two movies.
The whole surprise “OMG! S/He died!” trend has now reached the hallowed panels of… the Archie comic book series.
Weird trivia: Tarantino did an uncredited rewrite on It’s Pat.
Tribeca Film Festival expands online programming, announces free streaming titles.
Finally, it’s been nearly a year since poet and long-time friend Kurt Brown died. The Cortland Review just published this wonderful tribute to him. Photos, poems, essays. I miss you, dear friend.
Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: Here is our schedule of classes through the end of May:
April 14: Pages II: Rewriting Your Script (Scott Myers)
April 28: Craft: Create a Compelling Protagonist (Scott Myers)
May 5: Craft: Rewrite Boot Camp (Tom Benedek)
May 12: Craft: Write a Worthy Nemesis (Scott Myers)
May 19: Pages TV: Original Pilot Script Workshop (Tom Benedek)
May 26: Craft: The Coen Brothers and the Craft of Storytelling (Scott Myers)
As always, we look forward to the opportunity to work with you on the next chapter in your creative adventure!