She had the name of the show wrong! Yes. I thought it was a typo in her email when she said, “Will you please read my Downtown Abbey spec”, but it wasn’t. Side note, even getting the name wrong in an email is bad-you are showing who you are as a writer-get it correct. We ALL make typos-any writers who say they don’t are liars, that said, get the name correct. So I opened the PDF and it said DowntoWn, not Downton.  She also included the synopsis and the query. It get’s worse, when I pointed it out, she got angry and corrected me. Okay so I won’t be helping her.

I am not trying to make her feel bad if she is reading this blog, but rather share a story to everyone because this is beyond important. You must get the name correct. I am not a showrunner-someday maybe/hopefully-but today am just someone trying to make it as a writer, so to her I don’t matter, but you know what? I do matter, we all matter. This is a small industry, even if it doesn’t seem that way. Mistakes are fine, but really don’t spec a show that you don’t even know the name of. All that tells me, and anyone reading your script, is that you don’t watch that show and don’t pay attention to details. Why would I read any further?

Here is who I would love to see win and then the list of nominations below: Not who I think will take it, but in my opinion I would love to see them accepting awards tonight, but ALL the nominees are great and this has been a great year for film and TV.

Can’t wait for Ricky Gervais either!!

Best Film Drama: THE IDES OF MARCH

Best Actor Drama: RYAN GOSLING 

Best Actress Drama:VIOLA DAVIS

Best Motion Picture Musical/Comedy:MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

Best Actor Musical/Comedy: OWEN WILSON

Best Supporting Actress: OCTAVIA SPENCER

Best Supporting Actor: JONAH HILL

Best Director: GEORGE CLOONEY

Best Screenplay: GEORGE CLOONEY, HESLOV, BEAU WILLIMON

Best Television Series Drama: HOMELAND (SHOWTIME)

Best Actress in a Television Series Drama: CLAIRE DANES

Best Actor in a Television Series Drama: DAMIAN LEWIS

Best Television Series Comedy/Musical: MODERN FAMILY

Best Actress Television Series Comedy/Musical: LAURA LINNEY

Best Actor Television Series Comedy/Musical: JOHNNY GALECKI

Best Supporting Role Television Series: SOFIA VERGARA

Best Supporting Role Television Series: ERIC STONESTREET

THE 69TH ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Loved loved loved the film Moneyball about Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s in 2001/2002 and how they broke the record. I remember that game well as a huge baseball fan. The film was great, it really was, but there was one thing-well there were 4 things that pulled me out of the film, but one stuck out.

Do you know the song “The Show” by Lenka? Of course you do, it came out just 3 & 1/2  years ago in 2008….

*’m just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I don’t know where to go, can’t do it alone
I’ve tried and I don’t know why

Slow it down, make it stop or else my heart is going to pop
‘Cause it’s too much, yeah it’s a lot to be something I’m not
I’m a fool out of love ’cause I just can’t get enough*

If you’ve seen Moneyball you have to know what I am about to say. They used this song and not just playing over what was happening. His daughter sings it to him in 2001 and then again in 2002 at the end he plays a CD she made for him of her singing it. This is a HUGE MISTAKE and should not have been overlooked in a film of this caliber.

As well, this film took place in 2001/2002 just after Sept 11th and back then you could NOT pick up your kids at the gate if they were over 12 years of age. You could drop them off 13 and younger if you had a special pass. I am not sure why this was overlooked either, it wasn’t that story moving, maybe they were trying to show how close he is with his daughter, but honestly could have been pulled right out of there.

Then young Billy Beane has almost black hair and Brad Pitt has blond/brown? Hair goes grey when we get older it doesn’t go blond.

Then another major screw up. Billy goes to Fenway park to discuss something there-I don’t want to ruin the story if you haven’t seen it-and the 2004 Red Sox championship banner is hanging up! This is a film about BASEBALL-how did they miss that?

Look this is a great film, so that is what makes these mistakes unforgivable. Especially the song! Okay you’re not a Red Sox fan, you may not have noticed that, but again it’s a baseball film. You don’t care if someone’s hair color changes that much-okay. You don’t even know the rules about taking teens to the airport post-9/11. Fair enough, I can actually let those things go, but you can not take a hit song from 2008 and have a character in 2001/2002 singing it. You can’t you can’t you can’t!!

What would otherwise be an almost flawless film really made a huge mistake. Isn’t there someone who is paid to go over these things? Seriously. In today’s technology, there is no excuse for that kind of thing and it happens all the time.

I have a friend, and I apologize to him if he’s reading this, who wrote a very good film about Sept 11th, BUT he had his main character talking on Skype on an iPad!! UGH That said, this film hasn’t been made yet. Moneyball has been.

If this kind of thing doesn’t bother you, then you will love it. Hell, you’ll probably love it anyhow. I did. I think it’s great, but that just gets under my skin and makes me want to scream!

When I was 11 I starting watching soaps when I broke my leg and was stuck inside all summer. My friends were all watching General Hospital and Days of Our Lives and I was soon tuning in every day to find out who the Salen Strangler was and or what evil the Cassadines were up to. A couple years later my sister said to me, “I watch One Life to Live it’s way better.” I joined in and have been a fan ever since.

I love the show. I love Vickie and Dorian’s long standing feud and friendship. I love Bo and all the Buchanans. I love Todd Manning (both actors) and John McBain. The show is and has been a lot of fun.

When I was an actress I did some extra work on that show, and they were really a great group of people. I am very sad that the show won’t be on anymore as it’s been such a huge part of my life.

ABC television-check local listings.

One Life to Live has been on the air since 1968

Staring:  Michael Easton,Kristen Alderson,Kassie Wesley DePaiva,John-Paul Lavoisier,Melissa Archer,Bree Williamson,Robert S. Woods, Jerry Ver Dorn,Tuc Watkins,Roger Howarth,Trevor St. John,Hillary B. Smith

and Robin Strasser & Erika Slezak as Dorian and Vickie

and many more!

GOODBYE LLANVIEW-WE WILL MISS YOU!

About a month ago she was ranting about how writers would never make it unless they gave back and bought her book-well, seriously? That is a bit over the top. She was going on and on and on and on about how she has given so much and now her book wasn’t selling and those of us who hadn’t purchased it would never make it. Honestly! This kind of bullying tactics is just awful. So instead of getting into it with her, I just deleted her because I have enough of my own doubts without being told I will never succeed unless I give back and buy her book. She refriended me and I accepted instead of again, getting into it.

Well at first I just tried unsubscribing to her rants-daily rants-this person is so negative it’s incredible, and then finally today she went on a new rant about some friend of her who posted about her book on her wall, and while I don’t like it when people promote on my wall-because it isn’t really the place, I think that publicly humiliating people to make a point is just wrong! I have many friends who are doing projects and I will always promote them on my wall if I like what they have or have done. Even friends of friends. I will also usually tweet about it and sometimes blog about it. I think we should all support each other.

So I deleted this very negative person today because I needed to do some housekeeping. This person has obviously never heard the quote:

“Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don’t count on harvesting Golden Delicious.”

I am done with these super negative types, I honestly don’t have time for it. I think that if you hate FB so much, then don’t be on it, don’t bitch out your friends every day and guilt them into buying your stuff. Ridiculous.

I loved this film when it came out and I still love it. I am not sure what comedy critics or people who know the ins and outs of comedy writing better than I do would/will say, but I think this film is just about perfect and here is why.

The situation is funny! Dr. Marvin wants nothing but a weekend alone with his family and a promo opp with Good Morning America to go well and Bob wants nothing but to be  with Dr. Marvin because he thinks he “needs” him. Both characters have very clear and conflicting wants in this film and the actors are so committed to the part that we believe it and it’s funny.

This film doesn’t rely on joke, joke, joke, but instead takes two people and shoves them together in a situation that is tragic and yet very funny. It’s funny that Dr. Marvin’s kids relate better to crazy Bob, it’s funny that Dr. Marvin’s wife likes him so much, it’s funny that everyone likes Bob and wants him around except Dr. Marvin who is completely put out by the situation at hand.

This is another example of a film that could have just as easily been a drama about a crazy patient who just won’t take no for an answer, but instead it’s funny. We, the audience love and cheer on Bob and we also cheer on Dr. Marvin. Two opposing sides and we like both of them.

It’s really a great film and if you haven’t seen it in a while, or never seen it, put it on your Netflix cue and watch it, you’ll like it.

JANE BY DESIGN on ABC Family Tuesday nights.

A case of mistaken identity has a dateless high school outsider living a double life as a twenty-something career girl in the fashion world.
Starring Matthew Atkinson, Erica Dasher, India de Beaufort.

I really enjoy Jane, she is gorgeous, but not popular and she is social awkward and that makes her believable. Her mother left her and her brother when they were little and her father has died. With massive bills piling up and them being months behind in rent Jane takes a job as an executive assistant in the fashion industry for a very demanding boss played by Andie MacDowell. This is a fun show with all the high school bullshit we’ve all either had to deal with or dished out double time, because in this show it happens in high school and in the workplace, just like real life.

I highly recommend it to you, especially if you like Pretty in Pink, The Devil Wears Prada, Ugly Betty, Veronica Mars or 90210. 

Recently on the show I am working on (until the end of this month when we break), I got notes that not only made the script stronger-they will ultimately tell the story better  in many ways, as well as helped me become a better writer. Sure it’s hard to get those notes that change everything, but it’s such an important part of the process, so you must do it.

And kill your favorite scene. My partner and I were attached to a certain idea and this morning I killed it completely and it now works better. Sometimes we have to do this, because the idea was great and the execution was not.

On my screenplay I got notes this summer from a production company who was generous enough to give me such detailed notes and they said it was their opinion and I could take it or leave it. I took it of course and even though some scenes were hard to cut out, the script is now better for it.

Don’t be upset when you get strong feedback, it means you have something great there and you just need to tweak it. It’s a good sign, not a bad one.

“This is perfect” is the kiss of death in this town because it means 100% the opposite.

Having a spec and an original pilot are a must-

SPEC SCRIPTS FOR TV

This time of year when all the aspiring TV writers start on new spec scripts and or bring out last year’s-big mistake in my book-write a new one, you’re a writer, write a new one. And the added bonus of doing this-the more you write-the better you get.

The biggest mistakes that I see, and have done myself in the past are so simple and easy to fix. I don’t know why more people don’t see it.

You want to work in drama-what is your favorite drama? Write a spec of that one. Period. You love the show, you know the characters, that is what you should be writing. Don’t write what you think you should be writing, unless asked to as a possible job off.  Example, I was asked a couple years back to write an episode of 24. The studio/show I had submitted my Saving Grace and Grey’s Anatomy too liked me and my writing, but the job was for an event drama so they asked me to write a 24 to see if I could fit their style. I didn’t get the job. I love 24, but it just isn’t my style-so probably had I got that job it wouldn’t have been a good fit.

I have since switched back to my original love comedy. But this isn’t about me, it’s about you.

Write a show that YOU love.

COMEDY WRITERS-Why do you love that show? Is it all jokes like Chuck Lorre’s show? Or is it situational? Is it single cam? Is it multi-cam? Is it ironic like Californiacation-which is almost a drama, or is it slapstick and sketchy?

DRAMATIC WRITERS-Do you like Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Brothers & Sisters type shows? Or are you a procedural type of person. What shows are you excited to watch every week?

I read a lot of scripts, sometimes for friends and sometimes for money (see my website I have a consulting business) and the biggest number one thing I see people doing wrong-is NOT staying in character. If you have Monica from Friends being a free spirit and not caring about the table being messy-you do not know Monica and it tells the reader that you either don’t care or don’t know the show you are writing. Make sure you know those characters and how they will act. I recently read three comedy specs and they were all funny, and I could maybe see them on the air, but they would be the episodes that the audience wouldn’t love or just be confused at. The reason is the characters were all wrong. It’s the biggest mistake.

Sure I have made a lot of mistakes in my specs-as we all do. I wrote a Big Bang Theory and totally missed the mark because I wrote a situation comedy instead of a joke show and I placed it in a movie theater. Had I put it in the comic book store and told more jokes it would have worked. That was me not knowing the show, or not following it properly. I thought as long as I got the characters right and surrounded it about a comic book character-IRON MAN in this one-than it would work. I missed the mark.

I have learned the hard way about trying to write what you think people want to read and what I should have been writing.

So I offer this blog today before you start your spec for the fellowships-write what you love.

ORIGINAL PILOTS

Same thing, write the type of show you love. If you love cop shows, write a cop show. It’s pretty simple and want to tell that story and be excited about it. I see a lot of original scripts that are high concept and badly executed because the person has a great idea, but not the passion for that type of show and it stands out in the writing.

Draw from your own life. Draw from your friends. Draw from what makes you tick and don’t worry about what you think you will sell-because if you do that, you will fail.

Now get off the internet and start working on that script!