It would be two weeks before I wrote another entry. And that entry was to note there wasn’t anything to note. I finished “GhostWriter” and sent it off just in the nick of time, as my WGA card came. I was union. It was official. I was a professional writer. (yay).
So naturally, I’m working on a script for my second public access TV show, while entering the first into the newly established Staten Island Cable Awards.
Kevin had called. I missed the call but the message said it wasn’t important.
It was.
The script had been sent to the executive committee (what committee? Why hadn’t I mention a committee in this journal? It now seems very important). The script was presented to this committee. They were all over it, and not in a sexy, gentle way. They had issues.
My “cute” opening comments opened the floodgates for the reactions. They came down on the same problems everyone’s been harping on but with a vengeance. Kimberly would have to gather all the notes, consolidate them and then call me. This will then be part of the revisions which are part of the 1st officially submitted draft. I will get to “redeem myself” (Kevin’s phrase) with the revisions.
I’m crestfallen. Kevin is bummed because Joel and Simon hadn’t read it before they passed it on. Because they “trusted” me and never expected any radical changes. I guess that’ll teach ‘em.
My “cute” opening comments opened the floodgates for the reactions. They came down on the same problems everyone’s been harping on but with a vengeance. Kimberly would have to gather all the notes, consolidate them and then call me. This will then be part of the revisions which are part of the 1st officially submitted draft. I will get to “redeem myself” (Kevin’s phrase) with the revisions.
I’m crestfallen. Kevin is bummed because Joel and Simon hadn’t read it before they passed it on. Because they “trusted” me and never expected any radical changes. I guess that’ll teach ‘em.
I was miserable. Had I blown it? Would I have it in me to pull off a new draft? Sure, sure, I was wallowing in self-pity but what else could I do until I got some concrete notes? I have to say that Joel, Bill and Kevin did shoulder some of the blame, they had dropped the ball dealing with a new writer and should not have passed along that script.
A week later, Kevin was in New York for the holidays and the studio seemed happy about that. He can walk me through the new draft, they reasoned. The hivemind had some new ideas. For example, make O’Kiley a second generation owner, a “yuppie,” for a different slant on the villain. But this would all be talk until we get the Kimberly notes.
Also, Kevin suggests we keep the old Kringle Project script afloat, just in case. He wants me to look it over, incorporate the positive changes from the Pee-Wee version; gags, structure, etc. Hmmm.
A week later, Kevin was in New York for the holidays and the studio seemed happy about that. He can walk me through the new draft, they reasoned. The hivemind had some new ideas. For example, make O’Kiley a second generation owner, a “yuppie,” for a different slant on the villain. But this would all be talk until we get the Kimberly notes.
Also, Kevin suggests we keep the old Kringle Project script afloat, just in case. He wants me to look it over, incorporate the positive changes from the Pee-Wee version; gags, structure, etc. Hmmm.
The final entry in my journal for 1990 is about a post-Christmas call from Kevin, checking in. “Don’t worry,” he said, if I hadn’t heard from Kimberly (I hadn’t). He knew Kimberly was doing her best but, it’s the holidays! Which in LA is an excuse for the whole town to disappear for a month or so.
Merry Christmas to me…
Merry Christmas to me…
