I spoke with Luff at Mayhem two weeks back and as one might have expected, I am being rewritten on Clock Tower. Of course, I don’t have high enough clearance to know any of the details. But this is the way it works. At least, I’ve yet to see it go any other way. There’s good and bad news. Good news: at least they believe enough in the project to pump more money into it. Bad News: the risk that the rewrite which will no doubt have my name on it will make me look stupid. All you can do is hope it gets better and sometimes it does. Glass half full.
It’s been over a month since I sent in my little outline to Vertigo/Gold Circle and I’ve still heard nothing from the companies themselves. The managers tell me I’m still in the running but let’s play real for a moment. Every job I’ve gotten has happened within 48 hours. I pitch, I get the job. I’ve yet to see the exception. That doesn’t mean it won’t or can’t happen but I’ve found it’s better to move on.
Say hello to the twins. Now, first off, we aren’t turning our backs on the PC. It’s two Mac VS. six PCs in the Farmer house. But it seemed time to look into all the hype. So we’ve adopted two duel core intel iMacs. So far so good. Beautiful screens and graphics. Most games play flawlessly on them. Some don’t. It seems if a program was designed to take advantage of all the iMac bells and whistles then it outshines the PC. If the program wasn’t designed with the elitus iMac in mind then it ain’t a walk in the park.
It just takes some getting used to. Everything is similar but a teeny bit different. I guess my biggest complaint would be iMac’s need to think for you. It’s gonna do whatever it wants and most of the time not offer you a choice. There are ways around everything but you sort of have to jump through hoops if you want to do something other than the way the Mac wants it done.
One thing that has really been unsettling is how utterly quiet they are. This is a good thing but is taking some getting used to. The Alienware sounded like an aircraft carrier driving down Melrose. And again the screen is simply amazing. The games that do run flawlessly, look gorgeous.
So, I have dove buttfirst back into two old specs. I wrote Riddle Me This shortly after my adventures with Jason had wrapped. The plan was to write a thriller so I wouldn’t get stuck in horror. Of course, these days being stuck in horror ain’t so bad because Hollywood has finally acknowledge horror = money. But I’m still very fond of Riddle Me This. Through it I found ICM as my agency and befriended johnny Hensleigh. But as that chapter closed I find Riddle Me This back in my pocketbook. So a rewrite felt in order. Hensleigh’s take was to spin it into more of an action movie. Not surprising if you look at his action credits. But I’m going back to basics. I have my take and I’m ready to dive in…but there’s a catch. There’s a production company out there who wants to join forces on the development. The script has made the slow crawl up the ladder and we’re now awaiting the Top Dog’s reading and decision. I’m told by management that this is a good thing. But I’m tired of waiting. I’d gotten all pumped up over the rewrite and now I’m scratching me bum in neutral.
While Big Al was vacationing in New York, Elliot, Mel and I hit Pebble Beach. It was the windiest day I’ve seen on the ol’ peninsula. Gorgeous but windy.
There are six or so golf courses in Pebble and that little house belongs to one of the landscapers.
So, let’s talk about the projects I’ve passed on. I passed on the two film version of Witchblade. There wasn’t a ton of freedom with the idea based on finances and I felt they’d be better off without me and my idiosyncrasies. I also passed on Killing Demons. I found out about it on Monday and they needed to make a decision on Wednesday. I had some cool ideas but..eh. And then there’s Amityville II which I’ve tentatively passed on. They came back saying I could take an extra two weeks to come up with an idea but I don’t know.
My current time has been spent on assorted brainstorms and Past Tense. It’s an action/thriller and it’s been around for a couple of years. Any time I’ve pitched the short take the response has been great. But I wrote the first draft too complex as many of my first drafts are. I’ve been taking a step back and attempting to return to basics. The problem is, horror is hot right now and will be until a couple of them flop and the “hot” thing shifts. The goal is to get Past Tense ready to go for when that shift happens. One of my agents is pushing me to finish it. My managers are pushing me to focus on horror before that boat sails. So, I’m doing both.
Right now, the Hostel’s and Saws are still selling. It’s the strangest thing. Hollywood used to look at projects like them with disdain. B movies with little known actors shot for 5 to 10 million. But when those moves open at 20 plus million not including the gigantic monster that is DVD, well, from a standpoint of profit they’re hot.
Allen’s return from New York found us on a new Saturday walk. A tough walk on Pregnant Mel and the recently back surgery’d Elliot. But they persevered.
I love the smell of wood burning fireplaces. It’s currently cold and raining and you can smell the Hickory smoke billowing from every other chimney on the block. It’s a good thing.
As far as inspiration is concerned PG has been wondrous. It certainly has the small town feel as well as a sense of history. The buildings are old and some have a “we still burn witches at the stake” feel to them.
And speaking of small towns, come June, Mel and I are flying back to Kentucky for a family baby shower. My folks, her folks, childhood friends…all under one roof. It certainly promises a fascinating journal entry. But beyond that, dunno how to explain it. With a bun in the oven the desire to be surrounded by family and friends seems stronger than ever.
At the end of this month we have another Ultrasound and are wondering if we’ll see a penis this time.
But until then we shall continue to work and play and take our little walks. Mel’s working on a new children’s book and battling this year’s taxes. When we do take a break we join Dean in the world of Warcraft and battle evil. I’d show you a screenshot but the iMac won’t tell me where it saves them. :)
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