Saturday Hot Links
Time for the 137th installment of Saturday Hot Links.
Today: The Original Versions of Three Classic Rock Songs Edition!
“All Along The Watchtower” by Bob Dylan
“All Along The Watchtoer” by Jimi Hendrix
Hollywood: Reboots, Remakes, Redos.
The simplest secret to happiness you’ll ever find.
L.A. is seeing more earthquakes in 2014… and scientists are puzzled.
May box office hits lowest level since 2010.
If Game of Thrones characters were on The Wire, who would they be?
The 25 best drama schools in 2014.
“Gangam Style” video breaks YouTube record with 2 billion views.
Neil Patrick Harris, James Monroe Iglehart, Andy Karl, Jefferson Mays, Chris O’Dowd and Tony Shalhoub in Tony nominee roundtable [video].
What neuroscience can teach us about compassion.
For Star Trek fans: Sandra Piller pays tribute to her late husband, Michael Piller.
Comedy writers: If you ever forget why you want to make people laugh, just watch this [video].
It’s England vs. Peru in a pre-World Cup match when somebody in the stands throws a paper airplane… [video].
Related: The entire 2014 World Cup schedule.
Related: NYT Magazine feature on U.S. coach and soccer legend Jurgen Klinsmann.
Time magazine’s All-Time greatest 100 movies since 1923.
20 things you don’t know about the battle between Sega and Nintendo.
10 tips for successfully producing a micro-budget movie.
14 Google search tricks that make life a whole lot easier.
The 15th annual Golden Trailer Award winners.
Where does space begin.
15 things everyone does on a film set.
Prepare yourself for the robot economy revolution.
Vulture with a nice season-ending summary of the HBO series “Silicon Valley”.
Everything you need to know about World Cup 2014 television coverage in the U.S.
The latest Broken Projector podcast.
25 things hiding in sports logos.
17 most iconic quotes from Breaking Bad.
Otters + electric keyboard = cute! [video].
The hidden world of Video On Demand profits.
Meet 5 microbes that hitched a ride on the Mars rover.
Oscar nominated director Lexi Alexander asks if Hollywood studios are the real film pirates.
How Hitler and Judas could end up in Heaven.
Record number of film, TV projects apply for California tax credits.
22 things you might not know about the Stanley Cup.
Here’s why indie filmmakers need guilds if they want to get paid.
19 rare recordings of famous authors [audio].
“Somebody to Love” by Grace Slick & The Great Society
“Somebody to Love” by Jefferson Airplane
FAA may approve use of drones for filmmaking.
83 old slang phrases we should bring back.
Great feature on two terrific young actresses: Brie Larson and Shailene Woodley.
The 9 indie films you must see this June.
Watch a supercut of people saying “Don’t die on me” in movies [video].
The Fault in Our Stars is the top-selling love story in Fandango history.
Amy Poehler on what to expect from her first book.
New science fiction film festival starting in Austin, Texas: Other Worlds Austin.
15 things we learned from John Green’s Reddit AMA.
Here’s why female-driven movies are important right now.
What’s the difference between grasshoppers and locusts.
Melissa McCarthy reveals designers refused to dress her for the 2012 Oscars.
House hunting: 6 eccentric homes.
Here’s how not to cry while watching The Fault in Our Stars.
Related: 21 reasons The Fault In Our Stars movie is better than the book.
Related: You’re going to make The Fault In Our Stars all about you.
30 words you probably mess up.
The 10 greatest medical shows on TV.
How the first Triple Crown winner ended up in the army.
The 25 most underrated films of the 2000s.
Apple iWatch coming in October.
Josh Trank to direct another Star Wars stand-alone movie.
538.com finally turns their attention to something worthwhile: Finding the world’s best burrito.
Why Steve Ballmer’s $2B bid to buy the L.A. Clippers only took 1 week.
5 ways to fix Fox: Advice for the next Kevin Reilly.
Writers writing about writers: 9 great books about authors.
What’s holding back the sequel to Who’s Afraid of Roger Rabbit?
Ghostbusters to get theatrical re-release on 30th anniversary.
Each TV network does drama differently: Here’s how.
Casting news for J.K. Rowling’s mini-series “The Casual Vacancy”.
Publisher Weekly’s Picks: Books of the week, June 9, 2014.
Darren Aronofsky adapting Margaret Atwood “Maddaddam” trilogy for HBO.
George R.R. Martin to kill contest winner in future book for $20K.
The scathing sexual politics of Ghostbusters.
Women’s films ride to box office success.
Ann B. David, the “Brady Bunch’s” Alice, dead at 88.
Related: 12 things you didn’t know about Ann B. David.
“Crossroads” by Robert Johnson
“Crossroads” by Cream
Screenwriting Master Class tip of the week: In June, I’ll be leading two screenwriting workshops online:
Prep: From Concept To Outline (begins Monday, June 9)
Pages: The First Draft (begins Monday, June 23)
Then starting in July, I am excited to present my 8 Core classes in screenwriting theory:
- Core I: Plot
- Core II: Concept
- Core III: Character
- Core IV: Style
- Core V: Dialogue
- Core VI: Scene
- Core VII: Theme
- Core VIII: Time
This series of 1-week online courses represents the heart and soul of Character Based Screenwriting, an exciting and unique approach to the craft that goes well beyond typical takes on screenplay structure. Every aspect of this story-crafting process derives from and is guided by your connection to and understanding of your characters. Each of these 8 courses is based on that fundamental principle which in and of itself is a powerful safeguard against staid writing relying on preconceived formulas or constrictive structural patterns.
I only offer the Core curriculum once per year, so if you have an interest in any or all of these classes, now is the time to start thinking about them.
Indeed, why wait? With the Core Package, you can have immediate access to all 8 classes. That’s 48 lectures, each written by me, over 250 pages of content, presenting a comprehensive, coherent approach to screenwriting theory, plus dozens of tips and techniques to help you put the Core theory to use in your writing.
The Core Package enables you to go through the course material at your own pace. In addition, you are automatically enrolled in each 1-week class which includes interactive forums and live teleconferences.
Best of all, the Core Package offers a nearly 50% savings compared to taking each class individually.
As I always say, you do not need to spend a dime to learn the craft of screenwriting.
Read scripts. Watch movies. Write pages. Immerse yourself in the world of cinema. It’s completely possible to get where you want to go as a screenwriter following that path.
However the Core curriculum may be something to consider if…
You are just beginning your personal education about the craft.
You want to jump start your understanding of screenwriting theory.
You have studied a variety of approaches to screenwriting and as a result you have been left confused.
You are good with characters, but don’t know how to translate that instinct into a clear grasp on story structure.
You are good with plot, but lack the ability to work well with characters.
You would like to meet a group of inspired writers from around the world who support each others’ learning process.
If any of those apply to you, do consider any of the Core classes or go all-in with the Core Package.
And don’t forget the Prep workshop and Pages workshop.
As always, I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!
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