Friday, April 30, 2010

Of Every Hue and Caste


Remember when I said I would be back "next week?" Looks like that wasn't exactly true, which is another way of saying "not true at all." It looks like The Weekly Flippo took an accidental hiatus, something that is happening a bit too often as of late.

Unfortunately, I've been too busy to update the blog for awhile, and it slipped away from me. If it was up to me, I would do nothing but work on the blog (and also get paid for it). However, it is not up to me. It is up to the goddess Fortuna. For the past month or so, I've been doing deliveries/ caterings for an Italian cafe called Ugo. It's a pretty great place, full of cool and interesting people. I like to think of it as my Adventureland.

Gulfview Heights has taken a little bit of a backseat since we last talked. I was contacted by a guy named Richard Martin to write a first draft for some gangster story called Havana Summit. He wasn't exactly thrilled with what I did with the first ten pages (though I still stand by them and would love for you guys to read them one day). The entire experience was a letdown, as I feel I had plenty of great ideas to offer. The good thing is I never got my hopes too high. Besides, I learned plenty from the whole ordeal (yes, I would describe it as an "ordeal"). There are a lot of variables out there you can't control. The only thing you can control is the quality of the work you put out there. My first ten pages of Havana Summit were pretty good, I feel. Hell, Michael Chabon was turned down for the next Spider-man film. I'm in no way saying I'm as good as him. I'm just saying that's none-too-shabby company to keep.

An unfortunate drawback is I will be unable to finish Gulfview Heights in time for the Nicholl this year. I may send Anywhere, Illinois back in, but I was hoping to have a new script ready in time, but this is not to be. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKq52J_6KwM&playnext_from=TL&videos=7n0w8ivwAdk&feature=grec_index

2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QBwtHzdSFM

3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_CMJQYxwtg

That's about it for this week. I am preparing to shift my attention to a 30 Rock spec script I am writing (tentatively called "Smells Like Feminism") for NBC's Writers on the Verge program. Hopefully, I'll avoid distractions and be able to get the script done reasonably soon.

Flippo