Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 116th installment of Saturday Hot Links!

Today: The Joseph Campbell And The Hero’s Journey Edition.

Superhero movies are getting too greedy.

If you’re bored with the regular way of playing Pokemon, try the Nuzlocke Challenge.

Script for Star Wars: Episode VII has not been turned in yet.

Is there life on Jupiter’s moons.

Golden Globes: 18 biggest snubs and surprises.

Best part of the Golden Globes: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

More Amy: Watch as she and Billy Eichner force people to sing Christmas carols on the street [video].

Why Friday the 13th is considered unlucky.

The year in comedy: It’s bigger than laughter [The Dissolve].

Can anyone make a citizen’s arrest.

Sharon Stone kisses stranger for money [relax, it’s for charity].

What one thing can determine whether or not you’re successful in life. Hint: It’s not Donald Trump’s hair.

Love Actually: Is it a classic or terrible.

6 surprising ways to make better decisions.

“House of Cards” Season 2 trailer [video].

9 legendary monsters of Christmas.

Screenwriter Nancy Meyers named to Final Draft Hall of Fame. No, we’re not related.

11 incredible facts about Venus flytraps.

Heroines of cinema: An A to Z of women in film in 2013.

Cul-de-sacs are killing America.

Everything you wanted to know about the 2014 Sundance Film Festival program is here.

How to watch some of the Sundance films without going to Park City.

11 classic video games you can play online.

Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” returns in January.

15 best winter beers.

Blockbuster U.K. will close its last 91 stores on December 16.

Hey, all you 1% types: Here are the world’s best islands.

30 most quotable Will Ferrell moments.

200,000 people apply to live on Mars.

The lowest grossing movie of 2013 only made $72.

14 reasons why Santa Monica is the best place to grow up.

Ted Hope: 15 predictions for the future of indie film.

An ancient city is discovered underground.

5 cable networks that badly need rebranding.

What if the universe had no beginning.

Manohla Dargis’ top films of 2013.

A.O. Scott’s top films of 2013.

The 10 worst reviewed movies of 2013.

The biggest cheaters of 2013.

Watch Bill Murray and Emma Stone charm the troops [video].

-135 degrees. That’s how cold it was recently in Antarctica [yes, it was a record].

Eye on the Oscars: Writers on writers [Variety].

Meditation has the power to influence your genes.

Similarities between “The Mindy Project” and “When Harry Met Sally” [video].

Support our teachers!

The best quotes about writing from literature laureates’ Nobel Prize speeches.

Scientists discover parts of our bodies age at different rates.

See every James Bond title card in one place [video].

Philip K. Dick on how to build a universe.

50 things you didn’t know your iPhone could do.

The 50 best movie posters of 2013.

“The Wire” creator David Simon talks about “two Americas” [video].

Strange Christmas traditions from around the world.

PG-13 movies combine as much violence, sex and alcohol as R-rated titles.

The Evan Rachel Wood oral sex scene the MPAA doesn’t want you to see.

Lycra, the fabric of spacetime.

The 100 worst Christmas movies.

Finally Bob Dylan’s infamous Fender Stratocaster fetches nearly $1M at auction.

Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: It’s always gratifying to hear from a writer who found inspiration and insight on Go Into The Story. And it’s especially heartening when a writer I’ve worked with through SMC takes what they’ve learned and translates that into a success on the professional front.

For example, just this week I received an email from Eddy Martens who lives in Belgium. Eddy participated in a Prep: From Concept To Outline this year with me as well as The Core Package. Check out what happened:

Maybe you remember the synopsis I posted in one of the Screenwriting Master Classes called “Slopie” about the 11-year old girl and the prompter. Thanks to your feedback I was able to find and write a great ending. Two months ago I entered the treatment with the VAF (Flemish Audiovisual Fund), a fund that supports selected projects. And guess what? The treatment was selected and they are going to pay me to write the screenplay!!!

I am very thankful for your inspiring courses and your insightful feedback. I am also grateful that I was able to follow the 8 week Core courses. I learned a lot. I must say after having read several books on screenwriting, I have learned things in your class I hadn’t read about in any of these books.

I was very skeptical the first time I enrolled in one of your courses, not knowing what to expect. But it turned out to be worth my while! Thanks a million!!!

Congratulations, Eddy! And congratulations to all of the SMC writers who deepened their understanding of the craft and made substantial progress with their writing this year.

The reality is you do not have to do anything other than watch movies, read scripts and write pages to grasp what you need to achieve success as a professional writer. However screenwriting is a craft and you can shorten the learning process by working knowledgeable and committed teachers, like Tom and myself.

Let’s say you have a story you are itching to write. Or maybe you have one you started, but set aside because you lost confidence in writing it.

Consider one of our workshops:

Pages I: The First Draft: This 10 week workshop provides a structure within which writers pound out script pages each week for peer review and my detailed feedback. For many writers, having those due dates each Sunday is precisely the motivational tool they need to pound out a first draft. Next session start date: January 6. Instructor: Scott Myers.

Prep: From Concept To Outline: This 6 week workshop takes writers into and through their story from the beginning to the end of the development process, resulting in a scene-by-scene outline the writer can use as a guide through the first draft process. Next sessions start date: January 1. Instructor: Tom Benedek.

These are just two of the numerous writing workshops we offer at Screenwriting Master Class to go along with our Core and Craft courses which explore screenwriting theory and practice.

As you plan how to move forward as a writer in 2014, think about working with Tom or myself. We offer a unique combination of front line experience as Hollywood writers and decades as teachers.

Who knows. Hopefully someday you’ll be sending me an email like Eddy Martens and countless others have done with your own writing success story.

Have a Happy Holiday seasons and as always, we look forward to the opportunity to work with you.

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