Saturday Hot Links
Time for the 143rd installment of Saturday Hot Links.
Today: The ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic New Album Drops Edition!
Great interview with ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic.
To find out when Boyhood is coming to your town, go here.
Do you know what you’re scheduled to do through 2019? No? Marvel does.
This is your brain on writing.
Will 2016 be Hollywood’s year of movie blockbuster meltdown.
Something in space is blasting Earth with mysterious “fast radio bursts”. [Obscure reference: “Send more Chuck Berry!”]
11 book burning stories that will break your heart.
Doug Richardson: Yes, you truly suck.
11 brilliant cleaning woman life hacks.
Who’s who on a movie crew [video].
Watch every 2014 World Cup goal in 1 minute [video].
Related: What do players get for winning the World Cup.
How the Jerry Seinfeld doc Comedian ushered in comedy’s self-reflexive age.
Are vitamin pills even necessary.
8 Walter Hill films you should know.
Comical photos of people falling during disastrous everyday situations.
10 of the best superhero movie death scenes.
Interview with J.R. Havlan, writer who has been with “The Daily Show” since Day 1.
Watch 19-minute featurette “Emulsion Rescue” about the restoration of The Godfather [video].
8 foods on the actual paleo diet.
Sex Tape director Jake Kasdan researched the movie on YouPorn.
Here is Weird Al’s “Happy” parody [video].
Even better, Jenny Lewis “Just One of the Guys” video featuring Anne Hathaway, Brie Larson and Kristen Stewart [video].
10 early late night interviews you’d never see today [video].
How to turn tofu into 5 delicious dinners.
Attention world: Edge of Tomorrow is not a flop [video]
Related: Melissa McCarthy’s Tammy is not a flop.
16 fantastic Pixar sand sculptures.
Creator of Scott Pilgrim returns with a new graphic novel.
15 tips on making your first micro-budget film.
Here’s how piracy hurts indie film.
Is Hollywood giving up on Comic-Con.
Man loses fingertips on Disney World’s ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ ride.
25 years after When Harry Met Sally, can the rom-com be saved.
Related: The 25 best romantic comedies since WHMS.
Related: How WHMS used physical spacing to tell its love story.
Why YA needs heroines beyond Katniss Everdeen.
Indie film VOD global report [infographic].
John Luther Adams on composing music to blend with ambient city noise.
Who are the summer’s most avid moviegoers? Hispanic women.
World’s largest snails seized at LAX.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes story changed mere weeks before filming began.
Why the creator of “manic pixie dream girl” wants the term to die.
Interview with longtime Hollywood producer and studio exec Sherry Lansing.
Kid from Nebraska takes a $63B selfie [photo].
How Belle became the summer movie season’s secret hit.
Adorable photos of children fighting the monsters hiding in their bedrooms.
Documentaries may be struggling at box office, but VOD may save the day.
Survey finds most millennials would throw their friends under the bus for a promotion.
How Hispanics became Hollywood’s most important audience.
Marvel’s Thor is now a woman.
The sheer terror of being alone with our thoughts.
El Rey’s soccer spy thriller “Matador” debuts.
10 cities booming with job growth.
Time Warner and Fox are playing corporate footsy.
The first book printed in English sells for over $1M.
MPAA alums launch service to help filmmakers avoid R ratings.
Feature on legendary Dodger announcer Vin Scully.
The 100 greatest quotes from “The Wire”.
Ron Howard to direct authorized Beatles documentary on the British Invasion years.
Why do we laugh when we’re tickled.
The shameful secret behind the popularity of spy movies.
Mysterious giant hole suddenly appears in Siberia.
Why the original ending of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was cut from the film, but not the marketing.
Related: A radical call for peace amidst a Hollywood obsessed with war.
Tesla 2016 sedan to be called Model III.
Who is the summer’s best action hero.
Long-disputed early Jimi Hendrix masters to go to Legacy Recordings.
What 12 Disney movies were almost called.
Why are “Pound” and “Ounce” abbreviated “lb” and “oz”.
John Nivens: A writer’s adventure in cinema land.
We are very near the end of civilization as we know it.
Not all stories about straight white men: Here’s 12 films that could make money and bring diversity to the big screen.
31 adorable slang terms for sexual intercourse from the last 600 years.
Dueling J.R.R. Tolkien biopics in development.
A nonfiction tour of America: 50 books for 50 states.
Bruce Springsteen produces and directs a short film.
Innovation of the week: Smart luggage (it can’t be lost).
This is what happens when two directors make the same script into two different movies.
Science explains why some people are attracted to jerks.
Seth MacFarlane sued for allegedly copy Ted idea.
The chemistry behind making jello shots.
The 10 best deleted scenes on the “Twin Peaks” Blu-Ray set.
We are very near the end of civilization as we know it.
The Hotel Dylan opens for business in Woodstock.
‘Easy Riders, Raging Bulls’ author looks back at the New Hollywood.
The Bitter Script Reader with an excellent interview with a pro writer about the mysteries of the WGA credit arbitration process.
What even the best blockbusters are still getting wrong about women.
13 smart movies that make us feel dumb.
How to make a film like Alfred Hitchcock.
4 plot holes you didn’t notice in your favorite movies [video].
RIP: Legendary guitarist Johnny Winter who died this week at the age of 70.
RIP: Broadway legend Elaine Stritch who died this week at the age of 89.
Finally, celebrate Ingmar Bergman’s birthday with this 50-minute interview [video].
Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: Perhaps no single choice a writer makes is more important than the story concept, often the key determinant whether a script sells or not. That’s why I created Core II: Concept. At its foundation, this screenwriting principle:
Concept = Hook
In this 1-week online screenwriting class, you will delve into the mindset of Hollywood studio executives, producers, agents, and managers, and learn time-tested ways to generate and develop story concepts, as well as the means to evaluate them to help you know when you find a winning script idea.
- Hone your ability to think like a script buyer and see what they look for in a story concept.
- Workshop your own story concepts through writing assignments targeted toward improving your brainstorming and critical analysis skills.
Six lectures written by Scott Myers
Special insider tips
Daily forum Q&As
Workshop writing assignments with instructor and class feedback.
A 90-minute live teleconference between instructor and class members.
The class starts Monday, July 21. If interested, go here to enroll.
If you’re really serious and want to save some coin (nearly 50% off), consider The Core Package which gives you immediate access to the content for all eight Core classes [Plot, Concept, Character, Style, Dialogue, Scene, Theme, Time] which you can go through at your own pace, as well as the option of taking each 1-week online course.
For The Core Package, go here.
I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!
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