Michael's Musings

April 8, 2013

This past week, I haven't been writing much of anything...except for a review of WOMEN IN LOVE, the BBC miniseries that is now available on DVD.  You can read that review on the Best Bets on DVD site by clicking the link in the Introduction section of this page.

THE HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS anthology is finished and selling well on Amazon, and I've finished correcting the proof for my 2nd memoir, LIFE, LIBERTY & THE PURSUIT OF HOLLYWOOD, so now I'm just sort of floating; not sure what I want to do next.  And, whenever I'm not actively writing on a project, I tend to feel like a guilty bum.

I have been writing a line here and there on a new play, but the truth is that I'm not really committed to it.  Frankly, I don't know if I want to go ahead with it or not.  I've also thought about turning one of my unsold screenplays into a novel, but I'm not getting too excited about that prospect either.

Maybe I just need to take a long break from writing.

In the meantime, this week I'm meeting with a local actress who wants to stage LOMBARD here in Austin in September.  She wants me to direct the production, so on Wednesday, we're going to go look at the theater she has in mind.

On Friday, I'm doing a live interview with Mary Jane Popp, a popular and very nice radio personality from Sacramento.  We're going to discuss THE HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS.

You have a creative week.

Michael

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April 1, 2013

My desk is clear.

Actually, it's a mess and wife Sandy would like to throw most of the papers on it into the trash, but work wise, my desk is clear.

This weekend, I finished correcting the proof for my forthcoming 2nd memoir, and I also approved the anthology for THE HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS plays.  In fact, if you'd like a copy, just click on this Amazon link, or if that doesn't work, copy the following address into your browser and you'll be taken right there.

http://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Legends-Eleven-Fabulous-People/dp/1482725673/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364591068&sr=1-1&keywords=the+hollywood+legends

Also this past week, I signed a contract with the Colonial Radio Theater of the Air to do a full cast audio dramatization of my play, HAIL ON THE CHIEF!  We will probably record it in May, but because of the editing process, it won't be available until early next year...in time for the mid-term elections.

Writing wise, I'm not sure what I'm going to do next, but I'll think of something.

Now, since this is April 1st, here's a joke for you:

A woman and man get into a car accident. Both of their cars are totally demolished, but amazingly neither one of them is hurt.

After they crawl out of the wreckage, the woman says, "Wow, look at our cars -- there's nothing left! This must be a sign from Him that we should be friends and not try to pin the blame on each other."

The man replies, "Oh yes, I agree with you completely."

The woman points to a bottle on the ground and says, "Somehow this bottle of Scotch from my back seat didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink this Scotch and celebrate our good fortune."

She hands the bottle to the man. The man nods his head in agreement, opens it, and chugs about a third of the bottle to calm his nerves. The woman takes the bottle, immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the man.

The man asks, "Aren't you having any?"

The woman replies, "No. I think I'll just wait for the police."

You have a creative week.

Michael

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March 25, 2013

There's a new review on the Best Bets on DVD site, accessible via the link in the Introduction section of this page.  It's a film called DAY OF THE FALCON, an interesting and entertaining, if somewhat flawed, picture that evokes memories of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA.  Antonio Banderas is the only well-known star, but the action sequences are terrific and the desert cinematography is stunning.  So, take a look at it.

I finished proofing my upcoming second memoir, but I'm going to sit on it for a week or two before I send it back to the publisher.  A couple of deals are in the offing, and if they come through, I'll probably want to mention them in the book.

I also got the proof of THE HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS anthology back for checking, which I will get to later this week.  There's no deadline on that one.

I've also been asked by an author to read his novel to see if it would make a viable movie.  As I write this, I'm about halfway the book and I do think it has possibilities.

The problem with adapting novels into movies is "real estate".  Novels are usually over 200 pages in length (This one is over 300 pages.), whereas a viable screenplay usually peaks at 120 pages.  So, in adapting the book, once has to cut it down to its bare essence.  Not always a simple task.

In fact, it's much easier to expand a screenplay and turn it into a novel, as I did with SHADOW WATCHER. 

Incidentally, if you like to listen to your books on audio and you haven't done so already, you really should do yourself a favor and download Alan Douglas'  audio version of SHADOW WATCHER.  He does a terrific job.

Here's the link to that recording, and if that doesn't work, just copy the following address into your browser and you'll be taken right there.

http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B00A6TEHJ0&qid=1364048823&sr=1-1

You have a creative week.

Michael

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