I've been looking back on my adventure in Hollywood...
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The next day Kevin calls…to tell me he won’t be calling. Joel’s secretary screwed up and scheduled a meeting with someone else at the same time the call was to be made. Now Kevin is saying he and Kimberly might call at 7pm and run through our list of things...
* * *
The next day Kevin calls…to tell me he won’t be calling. Joel’s secretary screwed up and scheduled a meeting with someone else at the same time the call was to be made. Now Kevin is saying he and Kimberly might call at 7pm and run through our list of things...
Then I note that Charles Panuti returned my call. When had I called him? I never made note of that. Anyway, I must have pulled out a novel I was working on (“The Write Stuff”). Charles Panuti was a writer and novelist who I had met via my brother. He got me my first writing job, on the TV show “The Start of Something Big” with Steve Allen. We drifted in and out of each other’s lives and I must have had the urge to call and touch base about Hollywood and novelating. He told me about his Hollywood adventures (with Gene Roddenbery, no less) and almost lost his agent by pulling an end-run around the middle-men. I was going to send him some pages from “The Write Stuff” for feedback.
I was still dealing with comedy sketch stuff and seeing friends' shows, awaiting word from Hollywood. The next day wasn’t pleasant.
I was still dealing with comedy sketch stuff and seeing friends' shows, awaiting word from Hollywood. The next day wasn’t pleasant.
“Bam-Bam; took two hits right between the eyes,” I write on October 10, 1990. First, Robbins the agent sends his notes for “GhostWriter:” I’m a good writer, they all like it, et cetera, et cetera...but my characters are all one dimensional & boring (Good thing they liked it, though). So, now I’m locked into a quick re-write before my Guild membership kicks in (not even sure that’s now it works). “Changing all the bad, stereotypical characters, unoriginal scenes and inserting comedy (which is missing) to the script they love (What? Me, bitter?).
Then I get the conference call regarding the script that really matters. Kimberly the executive, Joel the producer, Kevin the connection and me; “Your script is good, you’re a good writer, we all love it, et cetera, et cetera…but edit it down to 90 pages, add scenes in mall, make it an old office building, O’Kiley earlier, Tweedle & Trinket subplot, Pee Wee gives Tweedle advice, blah, blah, blah.” No surprises really, but it was a lot to get handed. I note here I may have gotten snide with these good people. But, it was just too many hits to the ego.
Despite reminding myself NOT to get defensive and defend my choices, I did but got beaten down for it. I was really hurting, all annoyed that “they won’t see--or can’t see or aren’t allowed to see--the kind of traditional comedy character script I do. I was frustrated that they wouldn’t acknowledge that I was mirroring Pee-Wee’s earlier films.
Then I get the conference call regarding the script that really matters. Kimberly the executive, Joel the producer, Kevin the connection and me; “Your script is good, you’re a good writer, we all love it, et cetera, et cetera…but edit it down to 90 pages, add scenes in mall, make it an old office building, O’Kiley earlier, Tweedle & Trinket subplot, Pee Wee gives Tweedle advice, blah, blah, blah.” No surprises really, but it was a lot to get handed. I note here I may have gotten snide with these good people. But, it was just too many hits to the ego.
Despite reminding myself NOT to get defensive and defend my choices, I did but got beaten down for it. I was really hurting, all annoyed that “they won’t see--or can’t see or aren’t allowed to see--the kind of traditional comedy character script I do. I was frustrated that they wouldn’t acknowledge that I was mirroring Pee-Wee’s earlier films.
They now wanted a new TREATMENT of the new “Kringle Project” (old title) and show it to them and get more comments before writing the script. “It’s weird, I know I can do it, yet I’m discouraged.” Writing was always something I wanted to do, liked doing, but only did when inspired. Now, I was being forced to write. It was a job. Yeah, yeah, I know, but I had a job and I knew what the daily repetition of doing uninspired chores would do to me.
I attempted to give myself a pep-talk (“Beats a poke in the eye! Go team! Rah-rah!"), but it was not completely sincere.
“P.S.,” I add at the end, “I’m allowed to write cutesy, funny scene descriptions.” This little note, this tossed off thought about keeping up the comedy energy of a dry screenplay, foreshadows my doom…
I attempted to give myself a pep-talk (“Beats a poke in the eye! Go team! Rah-rah!"), but it was not completely sincere.
“P.S.,” I add at the end, “I’m allowed to write cutesy, funny scene descriptions.” This little note, this tossed off thought about keeping up the comedy energy of a dry screenplay, foreshadows my doom…
