Saturday Hot Links
Time for the 124th installment of Saturday Hot Links.
Today: The Kurt Cobain Would Have Turned 47 This Week Edition.
Aberdeen, Washington unveils ‘crying’ statue of Kurt Cobain [video].
DreamWorks Animation can still make money on movies that don’t.
25 female comedians everyone show know.
Screenwriter Emily Blake blogs about the relationship between a writer and his/her reps.
Facebook buys WhatsApp for $16B.
The Guardian with reflections on Raymond Chandler [75 years ago this week, “The Big Sleep” was published].
Jon Stewart reflects on his days as a bartender in a New Jersey punk club.
Want to read the script “Who Killed Bambi,” written by Roger Ebert? Go here.
Girl sells 117 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies in 2 hours after setting up in front of a marijuana dispensary.
Kyle Killen with a new TV series “Mind Games” on ABC.
Apple iTunes Festival at SXSW announces its lineup.
Writer suing Tom Cruise for $1B re MI: Ghost Protocol.
11 times video games led to lawsuits.
Jim Jarmusch: “Women are my leaders.”
9 of Thomas Jefferson’s heat-turning hobbies.
What should we be calling television now.
The history of the Vanity Fair Oscar party.
We are veeeeery near the end of civilization as we know it.
The future of black romance in film.
How to write the sound of a kiss.
Marti Noxon’s “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce” to become Bravo’s first scripted TV series.
Jimmy Fallon’s first “Tonight Show” monologue [video].
5 strange movie terms explained.
The original locations of 15 famous food chains.
Pilot Season: 4 trends in 2014.
Woman jailed for overdue VHS tape. The movie? Monster-In-Law.
Hollywood producers’ fraudulent telemarketing practices.
Cows literally jumping for joy after being freed from a dairy farm into a open field again [video].
50 most unforgettable movie deaths.
Wedding bells in the offing? Apple meeting with Tesla.
Why British film is in the middle of an indie film renaissance.
5 ways to build a good relationship with anyone.
12 insane movie props you can buy on eBay right now.
Dumb Starbucks and the art of the hoax.
Great NYT story about the power of movies in the former Soviet bloc.
You can now stream Beck’s newest album: “Morning Phase”.
Kurt Vonnegut on the ‘shape of story.’
JK Rowling to publish second novel as Robert Galbraith.
7 depressing facts about women in media from the new Women’s Center media report.
The broken-down grace of Bill Murray.
6 women-directed projects to be funded by Tribeca Film Institute.
Want to see a Netflix PowerPoint presentation on corporate culture? Go here.
San Francisco Film Society names its new executive director.
How to train your brain to be happy.
Disney hires Sony exec Sam Dickerman.
Longtime production exec Lynn Harris departs Warner Bros.
11 features you no longer see in cars.
20 years later: An oral history of Reality Bites.
Ellen Page’s coming out video reaches 2 million viewers within 24 hours [video].
18 ‘dream movie projects’ that turned into nightmares.
4 people who were buried alive and how they got out.
“The Simpsons” will air full LEGO-animated episode.
The 100 best classic “Simpsons” quotes.
7 terrifying beauty practices from history.
Rob Reiner to receive Chaplin Award from Film Society of Lincoln Center.
Reality TV snake-handling preacher dies… of a snakebite.
Watch an ‘honest’ trailer for Gravity [video].
FirstShowing: The 19 best movies you didn’t see in 2013… now go see them!
Why NetFlix is beating HBO.
10 best “Making Of” documentaries you need to watch.
BAFTA Awards winners list here.
Miyazaki talks retirement, Oscars and The Wind Rises.
5 bizarre inspirations behind famous movie scenes.
10 forgotten secrets of great movie-making from the 80s.
The 25 best romantic comedies since When Harry Met Sally.
Real talk on the women of “True Detective”.
Feature on writer-director Paul Schrader.
These French titles of American movies explains a lot about American stereotypes.
Finally the 10 most influential screenwriting bloggers… and Go Into The Story is one of them.
Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: One of the most remarkable aspects of taking online classes that Tom and I offer through SMC is the incredible community that can emerge. Even in our 1-week courses and with writers literally from all around the world, deep connections emerge as we delve into screenwriting theory and workshop story ideas and script pages.
And that community often lives on after the class is over. I know dozens and dozens of writers who have worked with me in an online setting who have developed long-term friendships with each other. Moreover many of them create writing groups to review their story ideas, loglines, treatments and script pages, and just generally ‘be there’ to support one another through the ups and downs of the writing life.
In fact, I recently received an email from one such group of 5 writers who got together to meet in person in Southern California… and they met taking classes with me a decade ago! Yet here they are, still actively supporting each other even while living great distances from each other.
The great thing is this phenomenon is happening right now. These recent Craft classes I have been teaching, there has been incredible creative work done by participants in the Logline Workshop forums. Then I come in wearing my ‘producer’s hat’ and provide feedback on every single story. And that is just one piece of the learning that goes on in my classes. They are a terrific creative environment and as I say, professional and personal relationships are being formed as we speak.
While you don’t need to do any formal education — it’s possible to become a pro screenwriter just by watching movies, reading scripts, writing pages, and immersing oneself in the world of cinema — the courses Tom and I offer through Screenwriting Master Class are a great way to speed your process of learning the craft, and make some great connections with other writers.
And who knows where those connections will lead? Hopefully all the way to Hollywood!
For more information on Screenwriting Master Class and the courses we offer, go here.
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