|
| |
|
|
| |
The Waking
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I cannot go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree, but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.
This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
--Theodore Roethke
|
|
|
|
Joy's Updates - Straight from the Horse's Mouth.
|
|
| |
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Nashville Screenwriters Conference - Day 2
This morning the group from Generation Kill talked about the screening and answered questions. One of the writer/producers David Simon asked us if we realized the real names of the Marines were used. When we said no we didn't, he said they might need to do something about that. I checked the HBO site, and there was no mention of it there. Two young men from the Marine Recon Unit the miniseries is about were there. One is Eric Kocher who was military adviser, and Ray Person was in the audience. I talked with him a while after the panel discussion and found out he lives in Overland Park, KS, where my niece Amy lives. He's the driver of the first Humvee if you watch the trailer, and he's wearing sunglasses. The actor playing him doesn't look that much like him but captures his personality, according to Person's wife, he said. We had lunch with several from that group, and let me tell you, Eric is really good looking and hot! Obviously he still works out (think body builder) and is in great shape and has "those eyes" and a chisled face. I found a small photo of him, so you can see that he resembles a much shorter, very buff Tom Selleck with intense, twinkly eyes. It made lunch quite enjoyable looking at him. (You'd have swooned, David) I talked with him quite a while since he was sitting beside me and found out he did five tours in Iraq and was wounded five times. He was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with "V" for Valor for heroism during an enemy ambush near Fallujah. He didn't mention any of this but was asked about it by a man sitting at our table who'd read his bio. Eric said he was just doing his job and was humble about it all. He did say the Purple Heart helped him get better disability. I saw scars on his arm, and he looked fine (I think I might have mentioned that) but has PTSD, understandably. He and Person were both personable, intelligent, friendly, funny, and delightful.
Evan Wright, the journalist who wrote the book Generation Kill, was also at our table and very interesting. Tina and I met Rebecca, a teacher in Metro, who writes children's books, so Evan told them if they emailed him, he would get them in touch with his agent. Great networking! Tina has several children's and young adult novels and plays she's working on, so that was great news. We were talking about David Milch, who Evan said he'd worked for, and somehow I mentioned his appearances on Craig Ferguson's show. Evan said his agent is also Craig's because he'd written a novel and that his agent wanted him to appear on Craig's show. I told him he should. He said he'd be nervous because he couldn't handle planned questions, but I told him that wouldn't happen on that show because Craig riffs off the guests and is like the ADD version of talk show hosts. So I hope he'll be on there. He said he'd watch the show and see what he thought.
The Problem Solving panel discussion involved screenwriters Mike Rich (Finding Forrester - a favorite of mine, The Rookie, Secretariat, and Radio), Scott Frank (Get Shorty, Out of Sight, The Interpreter, Monority Report, and Little Man Tate), Ted Griffin (Ocean's 11, Best Laid Plans, Matchststick Man, The Key to Reserva), Derek Hass & Michael Brandt (2 Fast 2 Furious, 3:10 to Yuma, Wanted), and Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, The Addams Family, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Homeward Bound, The Incredible Journey, The Secret Garden, and Black Beauty) Obviously, she works with Tim Burton often. This was entertaining and instructive. Ted Griffin's personality and sense of humor made it easy to see how he wrote Ocean's 11.
An interesting panel was about the internet and all the possibilities there. They mentioned You Tube and how people liked to watch two to three minute videos. Jason Nadler is head of UTA Online and discovers and represents premier video content creators, bloggers, and other digital artists working on the Internet. Karen Murphy is a producer (all those Christopher Guest masterpieces This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind as well as Drugstore Cowboy. She co-founded the Nashville Screenwriters Conference. Steve Niolaides (producer of Boyz 'N The Hood, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, Misery, A Few Good Men, The Forgotten, School of Rock, Nacho Libre, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, which Michelle's husband Raymond helped to the CGI on) and Caroline Thompson co-founded Small & Creepy Films and write, direct, and produce short video series there because they want to do things their way. Brent Weinstein is CEO of 60Frames Entertainment. One of his shows is "Douchebag Beach" which can be seen on You Tube or blip.tv. Any of you who are interested in putting something out there on the 'net need to get in touch with these people. It's a new frontier, so get on board!
You can see photos of the panelists and read their bios on the NSC website.
Grey's Anatomy head writer Krista Vernoff, Joan Rater, Tony Phelan, and Allan Heinberg (who used to write for Sex and the City!) were on a panel discussing how they write and some inside scoop on the show. Brad Schmidt from Channel 2 interviewed Krista Vernoff after their panel. She quoted me when he asked how people reacted when they found out she wrote for Grey's Anatomy. Her answer was that no one in L.A. reacted at all but that people outside of there were like this woman who came up to her and said, "Do not let Izzy and George get together!" She told me they'd do their best. LOL Part of his interview was on the 10:00 news but probably more will be on the morning news Monday. He wouldn't say douchebag when introducing Brent Weinstein. He walked by me on his way out, and I said, "Brad! Man up!" He laughed and said he just couldn't.
I wore my new dusty pink capris and a pink plaid blouse. Then I had a thought that I might look like Miss Piggy. If I go anywhere with Mother in her lime green, well, you get it.
Contrary to what you might believe, I did behave while I was there. Really, Brian, I did!
9:18:00 PM
|
|
| |
|
|
|
