Michael's Musings
Speaking on Wednesday
by Michael B. Druxman on 11/09/13
November 9, 2013
On Wednesday (13) night at about 7 pm, I will be speaking at the Austin Network Mixer. The event is held at Baby Acapulco's - 5610 North IH-35.
I will be talking about some of the mistakes aspiring filmmakers make in the planning of their movies and how they might be avoided, so if you are in the area, please come. I will also be signing copies of my new book, LIFE LIBERTY & THE PURSUIT OF HOLLYWOOD: More of My Wacky Adventures in Tinseltown.
On Tuesday (12), I will be doing an afternoon radio interview with Mary Jane Popp, which airs on a Sacramento, CA station.
We get our TV, telephone and Internet through U-Verse here in Austin, and this past week I discovered that Showtime has all of it's current series archived for "on demand" viewing. So, I have now started watching both HOMELAND and MASTERS OF SEX from their beginnings and I am enjoying both. HOMELAND, I must admit, strains believability at times.
My wife and I are also in the process of clearing out our storage space, which means we're shifting things around at home to make room for the stuff we are not going to toss. Tiring and frustrating work, but we hope to have the job done before the first of the year.
I'm working on (i.e. researching) a couple of new plays for THE HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS collection. One would be a 1-woman play and the other a 3-person show. I will reveal the subjects in due time.
You have a creative week.
Michael
CLARA BOW on Audio
by Michael B. Druxman on 11/03/13
November 4, 2013
My one-woman play, CLARA BOW, is now available as an audio download. You can get it through Amazon.com, audible.com or iTunes.
Nancy McLemore does a terrific job as Clara, so please give this production a listen. We did it in the same style as an old radio drama with music and sound effects.
Currently, I am preparing to give a talk about the mistakes aspiring filmmakers make on November 13th at the Network Austin Mixer, then the following week, I'll be at Austin's Wizard World Comic Con, so November is a busy month.
Now, here's a joke I came across:
"You've got to have a room somewhere," he pleaded with a proprietor.
"Well, I do have a double room with one occupant, but he is an Air Force guy," admitted the manager, "and he might be glad to split the cost. But to tell you the truth, he snores so loudly that people in adjoining rooms have complained in the past. I'm not sure it'd be worth it to you."
"No problem." the tired Army guy assured him, "I'll take it."
The next morning the soldier came down to breakfasts bright-eyed and bushy tailed. "How'd you sleep?" asked the manager.
"Never better," said the soldier.
The manager was impressed. "No problem with the other guy snoring all night long?"
"No, I shut him up in no time," explained the soldier.
"How'd you manage that?" asked the proprietor.
"Well, he was already in bed, snoring away, when I walked into the room, so I gave him a kiss on the cheek," explained the soldier. "Then, I whispered in his ear, 'Good night beautiful', and he sat up all night watching me."
Michael
Fun at the Austin Film Festival
by Michael B. Druxman on 10/26/13
October 28, 2013
Last Thursday and Friday, I headed two Roundtables at the Austin Film Festival, and I also journeyed over to UT where students in the Radio-TV-Cinema Department pitched their story ideas at me.
As was the case with the previous two film festivals, I had a terrific time and look forward to participating in the event again next year.
A couple of interesting things happened at the Thursday Roundtable.
Sitting next to me at one of the tables was actor Robert Walden (LOU GRANT, BROTHERS), who has recently moved to Austin. I'd never met Robert before, but we do have several friends and colleagues in common, so we will be getting together soon for lunch.
Also that day, I was approached by a gentleman who informed me that, when he was a teenager (almost 40 years ago) living in Agoura Hills, he used to come to my house there to watch movies that I showed regularly on 16mm. He says that that experience is what prompted him to go to film school. Ultimately, he became a psychotherapist, but he was always interested in screenwriting, which is why he was at the festival.
Truthfully, I didn't remember him. He was, apparently, one of the teens who ran with my kids back then. Small world, right?
On Friday (1), I will be recording a radio interview with Gregg Hunter, promoting my new book, LIFE, LIBERTY & THE PURSUIT OF HOLLYWOOD: More of My Wacky Adventures in Tinseltown. It is available now on Amazon.com.
Finally, I will be writing/posting a review of WHITE HOUSE DOWN on the Best Bets on DVD site soon, accessible via the link in the Introduction section of this page. Please take a look.
You have a creative week.
Michael
