One of the worst movie trailers EVER

Here's a movie trailer for THE LEGEND OF LYLAH CLARE, a 1968 film about the inner workings of Hollywood.  I defy you to find one frame of subtlety in this movie.  I think even Faye Dunaway would say, "Whoa, ease up on the throttle."  This movie  makes  THE OSCAR seem understated.   My thanks to bad movie aficionado, Mark Legan for turning me onto this gem.  I'm guessing it's not available on

Even I can't get an agent

The difficulty in securing an agent is not confined to those writers
just starting out. I tried to get a theatrical agent when I wrote my
play a few years ago and hit a brick wall, even with my resume. And I
didn’t list AfterMASH so I know it’s not that.

The
Hollywood literary agency that represented me did not have a theater
department so when I wrote my play a few years ago I decided to

How accurate is CALIFORNICATION?

For many of you the 4th of July holiday begins today. What better way to celebrate than with Friday Questions?

Dodgerdog has one near and dear to my heart:

Both "Episodes" and "Californication" have story arcs involving television writers getting it on with hot young actresses on their shows. (Hilarity ensues.)

The public is well aware that movie producers and directors often have "special

Natalie Wood's most erotic scene

A lot of you yesterday wanted me to post some Natalie Wood pictures.  For new readers, whenever I can't find an appropriate visual I post Natalie Wood photos.  She's been my all-time favorite since the first time I saw her in THE GREAT RACE.  I was at that impressionable age when... well, my hormones were exploding.  13 year-old Kenny sat in the Pantages Theater thinking " Holy God!  What is

WARNING: This post may suck

The hardest part of writing a blog is coming up with topics. Once I come up with a decent topic I’m usually off to the races. Today I have no idea what to write. So I thought I would use that as an experiment. Experiment is a nice way of saying I may never do this again. But here’s the plan: I’m going to just start writing, free associating, and just keep going. It may turn out great; It

RIP Gary David Goldberg

Gary David Goldberg was what the hippie movement was supposed to be. Before it all got corrupted by drugs, greed, and bad fashion the point was to spread compassion, understanding, love for one another, and place the human spirit over material wealth. If anyone fulfilled the promise of our generation it was Gary Goldberg. (I always knew him just as Gary. The David was silent.) Gary

Superstars in the shadows

There’s a great new documentary out called 20 FEET FROM STARDOM. It was a big hit at Sundance and is now playing a limited theatrical run. That might mean one theater in LA, New York, and Madison, Wisconsin. But if it’s playing in your area, check it out. Or when it gets to Netflix in twenty minutes, flag it.

The movie is about backup singers – those incredibly talented musicians who you

How to hit on Margaret Colin

Guys, how’s this for a sure fire pick-up line?

Margaret
Colin is a fine actress. You’ve seen her on many things I’m sure.
Recently you've seen her in THE GOOD WIFE, NURSE JACKIE, and GOSSIP GIRL. She’s been in
INDEPENDENCE DAY, THREE MEN AND A BABY, and SOMETHING WILD among other
features. In the late 80s and early 90s she was very hot in television.
She starred in such series as

Vintage Disneyland

This is an AMAZING video. It's an hour long but features tons of lost footage on the construction and evolution of Disneyland. Lots of great facts too as one of the Disney Imagineers leads you through it. Included is a simulated tour through a ride that was never built.   How one man conceived this and actually built this amusement park it is extraordinary.  The logistics and amount of

More of the CHEERS outline

Earlier this week I posted a portion of a CHEERS outline and it prompted a couple of Friday Questions. Many of you also asked to see more of the outline so I’m providing that too.

B.B. Callow asks:

Why is the outline so detailed if it's only an outline? If you kept all the dialogue from the teaser and formatted it to script form, it would be very close to what the finished teaser would look

James Gandolfini RIP

Like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened by the sudden death of James Gandolfini. He was 51.

How many actors could play a vicious gangster who had a conscience and you actually believed it? How many actors could command any scene or any stage? How many actors could play loveable as well as hateful? And how many actors could play comedy as well as heavy drama?

And despite all

What a CHEERS outline looked like

In digging through some old papers I came upon a CHEERS outline.  A number of you have asked what a sitcom outline looks like.  There is no set format.  This is the one used by CHEERS, FRASIER, and all of my series.  What we like about it is that half the page is blank.  It's very easy to scribble down notes.   Our outlines are generally about 15 pages. 

Anyway, here's a taste of what a CHEERS

If Christopher Nolan re-booted MARY POPPINS

Memo:

FROM: Christopher Nolan
TO: President of Walt Disney Pictures

SUBJECT: Re-boot of MARY POPPINS

After watching the original 1964 movie once I know how we could improve this beloved children’s classic and make it relevant for today’s theatergoers.

The color scheme must be grey.  Most of the film will take place at night.  

It is still a period piece but we update it slightly. It

Save the date

I'm holding my once-a-year SITCOM ROOM seminar on the weekend of October 26-27 in Los Angeles.   It's the only hands-on workshop that let's you actually experience what it's like to be in a writers room.   All the laughs and indigestion. Enrollment is limited to only twenty students.   I'll let you know when registration is open, but if you're on our mailing list you'll be alerted 24 hours

Superman: my review

The reaction has been mixed.

Every opportunity for humor, compassion or plausible responses to otherworldly phenomena is buried beneath product placements and CGI special effects.
- Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The greatest movie ever made!
-- James Olsen, Metropolis Daily Planet

The filmmakers still didn’t get it right. Even with the “genius” of Christopher Nolan and the wonders

Happy Father's Day!

Especially to my own father, Cliff, who is both my hero and role model.

Note to those wives and kids planning to celebrate: no brunches. That’s
Mother’s Day stuff. Let the old man sit in front of the TV and watch
NASCAR or the WNBA. 

Or watch FIELD OF DREAMS.

And now, as a public service, here are some movies NOT to watch on Father’s Day:




FEAR STRIKES OUT

CHINATOWN

SHINE

WALK

Dating a witch

Here's another short exerpt from my book THE ME GENERATION...BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE '60s).   It's the PERFECT last minute Father's Day gift that you can order here.   This is the perfect post for June 15th (you'll see why).   It's 1967.  I've just gone out on a date with Eleanor.  During the date she casually mentioned that she was a witch. 

Eleanor was extremely cute. Huge blue eyes,

Can TV writers go back and forth between sitcoms and dramas?

Happy Flag Day.  Many years ago on this date I joined the Army Reserves.  Amazingly, the country still exists.   Fly Old Glory and leave your Friday Questions in the comments section. Thanks. Here are today’s:

Dan Ball asks:

How easily can a TV writer go back and forth between sitcoms and dramas?

It’s never easy because writers get pigeonholed. Even if you’re established you might have

Pregnant & Dating

In my eternal quest to find you the most idiotic reality shows, I present for your astonishment – PREGNANT & DATING. Who knew with a title like that that the show would be absurd? It airs on WE.

The show follows five pregnant available women. There’s Kiesha, formerly of the group Xscape… Shana, a former bikini model… Melissa, a fashion stylist… Megan, a knothead from the O.C. (“I went

Who deserves the Best Drama Emmy?

The Emmy ballots went up on line on Monday. (They close the 28th.) The toughest category should be Best Drama. It’s tough because (a) there are so many excellent shows to choose from, and (b) very few people have seen any of them.

Unless you have cable or satellite and Netflix you’re missing out on some amazing programs. Other than THE GOOD WIFE on CBS I can’t think of a single

Budgeting your movie

Lots of people are considering making their own independent movies. Or at least putting together financing. With High-Def cameras relatively cheap and editing that can be done on your MacBook Pro – suddenly feature films are way more affordable.  And there's Kickstarter if you don't mind competing with the Mamet sisters.  This prompted a Friday Question that is worthy of a full post. It’s

Prime rib only $1.25

How’s this for a deal?

There’s a famous restaurant in Los Angeles (and now a few other places) called Lawry’s. It specializes in prime rib. Even if you’re vegan you gotta try this prime rib. A clogged artery or two is a small price to pay for a slab of this he-man delicacy. Lawry’s is an LA institution like the Hollywood sign and silicone breasts. The prime rib is cut at your table.

What to get Dad for Fathers Day

Dad's are always tough to shop for.  How many ties, and tools, and Tiger Woods commemorative plates can you buy him?   How many shirts, and socks, and lawn gnomes?  Well, this year I have the answer.  A handsome paperback (or Kindle or audio download) of my book, THE ME GENERATION... BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE '60s).  Yes, this is a shameless plug but you'll notice no Google Ads ever appear along

In the spirit of Tony revivals...

...here are highlights from my past Tony reviews. I won’t be reviewing them this year because they’re tape delayed and I don’t want to stay up until 4:00 writing a review of a show that only I saw. But I love the Tony’s and if you do too, here are excerpts from my previous snarky reviews to get in the mood.

Usually I say the Tonys are the only award show where no one thanks their wives.

Weekend odds and ends...

Fragments of ideas and miscellaneous observations...

Does anyone else think James Taylor looks like Matt Weiner?

The big problem Hollywood has always had with Superman is making him relevant and cool. I don’t think they help their cause by putting him in a fucking Carls Jr. fast food burger commercial.

Went to the Dodgers-Braves game Thursday night. Yasiel Puig, the 20 year-old Dodger

Friday Questions

Time for Friday Questions. The theme this week seems to be stars.

Ryan asks:

Frasier's first wife, the children's entertainer "Nanny G," was played by Emma Thompson on an episode of Cheers, then by Laurie Metcalf on an episode of Frasier years later. Would you happen to know if any attempt was made to get Thompson to reprise the role?

Yes. Ms. Thompson was unavailable. I will say it was

For my consideration...

For members of the TV Academy, this is the best time of year. Because this is when we get all the screener DVD’s for shows that hope to be considered for primetime Emmys.

Every day I eagerly check the mail and there are envelopes and boxes containing specials, documentaries, the best episodes of series, mini-series, British series, sometime complete series, and about three dozen programs

Coming this Fall

As a former showrunner of new shows, one of my constant battles was with the network promotion department. The network never aired enough promos of our show to suit me. I’m sure all showrunners say this (except maybe the WHITNEY guys two years ago – I’m surprised NBC isn’t still promoting it even after canceling it).

And when networks do run your promo, in which show do they air it in?

The 101 Best Written TV Series

The WGA just announced its 101 BEST WRITTEN TV SERIES OF ALL TIME. Proud to say that shows I wrote for finished 5th (MASH), 8th (CHEERS), 11th (THE SIMPSONS) and 23rd (FRASIER). We’ll never know if they would have ranked higher had I not written for them. But seriously, I’d consider it a tremendous honor just to be associated with one show on this list, much less four. And to have all

The one Kickstarter celebrity campaign I can support

I know I've been down on actors taking advantage of their notoriety to get money from fans on Kickstarter, but suddenly a project has come along that's so important, so VITAL that even I have to change my tune.

Zosia and Clara Mamet, daughters of poverty stricken playwright, David Mamet, need $32,000 to make a music video of their original song.  Zosia, of course, is one of the girls on

RIP Jean Stapleton

There would be no ALL IN THE FAMILY without Jean Stapleton. Edith Bunker passed away yesterday at age 90. Archie Bunker – played so masterfully by Caroll O’Connor – was the most bigoted, crude character television comedy had ever seen (up until that time). Forget how funny he was. The audience needs some cue to know it’s okay to laugh. Otherwise, they just hate him and that’s that. O’

It was 46 years ago today...

...that the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club album by the Beatles was released. Here's what I said about it in my book (which you could and SHOULD buy here for a ridiculously low price): 

It's June 1, 1967 and I'm a teenager working at Wallichs Music City, a record store in the San Fernando Valley...

In June a ton of boxes from Capital Records arrived. Inside was the new Beatles album – Sgt

When my mind (and everything else) was in the sewer

Here's an episode of JUST SHOOT ME I directed. Things to look for: Lisa Edelstein guests. I had an orangutan to deal with, a water stunt, and a special glow-in-the-dark effect. All in front of a studio audience.

The orangutan was somewhat unpredictable. You'd give him an acting note and he'd forget it. I told the cast to just stay in character if he did anything bizarre, and I told