Wendago

First off we pitched Jeremy Steckler at Di Bonaventura Pictures. Is there anyone in this town Patrick doesn’t know? He’s been at it longer than me and he’s reached certain success as an editor so it makes sense that he’d know people but everyone seems to know him. Just feel very third wheel. Not only that, Stuart Beatty’s name keeps coming up. Everyone loves Stuart. And the name comes up when we mention “Scarecrow”. It’s always, “Oh, yeah. Stuart rewrote that. Stuart’s great. We love Stuart.”
Meanwhile I’m clearly the bozo who did such a poor job that Stuart had to come in and save me.
Look, Stuart did a great job on the rewrite. If you gotta be rewritten it is certainly a pleasure to be rewritten by someone who knows how to write. But the fact is, the notes were stupid. Stuart did great but the notes were so bad that the finished product had Revolution putting the thing into turnaround. Guess I’m just grumpy.
The meeting went good. Real good. Jeremy seemed very excited about the story. But that seems to be the one consistant. Everyone is blown away with how well we pitch it and how good the story is but again the issue of budget and water came up. Just have to wait and see.
Next I had a general meeting with Albert Surger of Red Thread productions. Eh, nothing will come of it.
Finally I had a general meeting at Lightstorm to meet with Greg Frankovich. Even though this was a general meeting I was sort of pumped because Cameron is certainly a guy who would not be scared of an underwater movie. He invented the modern underwater movie. People may wrongly bash “The Abyss” but that movie had one of the greatest scenes in movie history. Watching your wife drown in freezing water so you can swim her two hundred yards and then try to bring her back? Amazing.
Anyway I gave Greg a teaser of Narcosis and he was hooked. Nicole’s setting a meeting for us to go back and pitch him after Christmas.

Patrick and I pitched Glenn and Margarete (or Meradith, can’t recall — I’m so horrid with names). Our pitch is getting better and better. Funny thing was, Glenn’s office is right down the hall from Dean Lorey’s old office at Universal. When I first moved out here I wrote a couple of drafts of “Hunted” from Dean’s office. Glenn’s office was William Shatner’s at the time.
Anyway, they asked some interesting questions and had some interesting comments. That said, they were tough to read. If I had to make a guess I’d say it was a pass.
On the home front, Mel has finally begun her sewing career. We’ve had the machine for a couple of years and she finally figured out how to thread the thing. She’s been sewing us new stockings for Christmas.
Tomorrow is a big day. Two pitches and a general meeting.

First off I met Patick at the Cursed editing today to ride with him to our Narcosis pitch. He informed me that Maryanne (Wes’s producing partner) had told him that Wes had just cut a deal with New Line to remake “The Hills Have Eyes”. It was told that Wes just couldn’t bring Patrick and I along because New Line had their eyes set on some French writing/directing team. Guess the fact that we came up with this new take didn’t matter. Course, I’m sure the French dudes will have their own take. Just strange that Wes would dump Patrick after the many years they’ve been together.
We pitched Stephanie Gisondi at Weed Road pictures. We did a great job with the pitch. It’s a good story and we bounce back and forth with excitement. They loved the story and seemed to have no fear about the underwater stuff since they’d worked on “Deep Blue Sea”. I felt good about it but later we found out it was a pass.
They said it was too much like their “Manhunter” project and too much like “What Lies Beneath”. Well, I don’t know about Manhunter but it is nothing like What Lies Beneath. Don’t get me wrong, I love Beneath but our story is nothing like it. Of course our story has actors who wear clothes and talk, so maybe that’s what they meant.
Nicole tells me she’s going to send my latest draft of Riddle to Mitch over at Constantin and try to get me some money. Hensleigh felt like we still weren’t there creatively and he’s right but I’ve been working this for over two years now. I have done several page one rewrites and my deal was for one rewrite and a polish. I think I’ve earned a little cash. Hensleigh wrapped the Punisher last month so hopefully when he’s out of editing we can get back into this thing.
Tomorrow I start on the “Thunder” rewrite. This will be my last pass before Dean takes off on his.

Love is a dude I met through the Fridaythe13thfilms.com chat room. I’ve met several of the guys there…well…online that is and I like’em. They treat me like crap and the normalness of that pleases me. On occasion some joker will enter the room and start doing the Mr. Farmer this and Mr. Farmer that but the regulars there tend to shut them down pretty fast. I guess I’ve been stopping in at the board a few times a week since way before Jason X came out and got into the routine.
Anyway, Love’s brother has a radio show on some campus in Arkansas or Deleware and he asked if I’d be willing to do an interview. While Mel, Natalie and I were out tonight we pulled over long enough for me to do the show.
It was the same ol’ same ol’ until they turned the conversation to sex. “How many drinks does it take before you can get your wife to do anal?” I don’t recall what I said but Mel told me later I should have said, “I gotta have at least six drinks before I let me why do me anal.” Ahh, that’s my wife. Always thinking.

Met Neal and his partner again at the Sugarplum. Not sure why we had the meeting. I told them I hadn’t had time to come up with anything brilliant but we met and we chatted and it was fine.
This time three months ago we got a check form JX’s residual so we’re due another. Curious to see what it will be this time. It’s like having Christmas twice this month.