A Novel Idea

When I went to film school I always wanted to write a screenplay with a female protagonist. Why would I write anything else? Unfortunately, I was always told that scripts with female leads were "not easy to sell.' You needed to write something that was "high concept" or an "action-film" or maybe something that was based on a comic book. That was the sure-fire winner in Hollywood. After a few years, I decided to turn to my first love: romance novels. 

At the heart of most romance novels you could almost always find a woman. Strong, vulnerable and in search of a good man. Of course, romance novels have changed since I was thirteen. Telling part of the story from the POV of the male hero is a must. And it is with great delight that romance novels have now started to feature the romance of same-sex characters. Romance writers have progressed!

Isn't it intriguing that meanwhile over in Hollywood, where mining for a "new and original" idea means scouring the Young Adult shelves in Barnes & Noble, very little has changed. In fact, if anything, things have gotten even worse. It's sad when the winner of the Best Actress Oscar refers to movies with female leads as niche films. And the number of women working in front and behind the camera is shrinking instead of growing.

What is wrong with Hollywood? Can it be fixed?

A Bit Unexpected

I wasn't exactly thrilled about watching the Oscars this year. I didn't have a horse in the race. I hadn't seen many of the films that had been nominated. I wasn't enthusiastic about seeing many of them – the subject matter was either very intriguing but too emotionally upsetting at this time in my life (12 Years A Slave) or had absolutely no appeal for me (Wolf Of Wall Street).

I do like to watch the red carpet dance. I know absolutely nothing about fashion, and the longer that I'm out of the day-to-day grind of the work force, the less style I seem to have. As a stay at home writer, my clothes only have to pass the sniff test. Comfort is key. Style is not even a consideration.

I was appalled at how bad the coverage was of the red carpet. Every network had a team of D-listers dressed up in bad prom dresses commenting on what the stars were wearing. I saw more of these chicks lined up in a row with iPads on their laps than I did of the stars. WTH? Who thought this was a good idea? I just want to see stars dressed up in pretty clothes. I don't even care 'who' they are wearing. Just put them in the clothes and parade them past the camera dripping in jewels and clean hair.  I'll enjoy some shrimp cocktail and a nice red wine on my sofa. That to me is what the Oscars is all about.

And so this year, the bit that was unexpected for me was how much fun the actual telecast was. Yes, it is an endurance marathon rather than a well-designed sprint. But I want to see the guys below the line troop up on the stage and collect their awards. I want to see the people who win for best short feature and animation thank their kids. And most of all, I want to hear Idina Menzel sing "Let It Go" and watch Pink turn into a superstar with her version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." Bravo! Talent, pure, simple and unadulterated.

And while we are waiting for the next announcement of something big, why not a pizza and a #Selfie? That's what we're doing at home. It is all part of what the Oscars are about. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I actually enjoyed watching the Oscars. I felt good afterwards. Maybe I'll continue to make the effort to go see movies despite all the other distractions on my time.

I'll Have What She's Having

I will miss Nora Ephron. She made my porn. For me, half the fun of going to the movies is to see the set decoration.  I have always wanted to sip a sloe gin fizz in the bar owned by Humphrey Bogart in "Casablanca." I have dreamed about whipping up a vat of spaghetti Bolognese in the kitchen at the ranch owned by Brian Keith in "Parent Trap." If anyone knows where I can get my hands on the bathrobe that Kathryn Hepburn wore in "Adam's Rib", for Heaven's sake, let me know immediately.

Nora Ephron never disappointed me with the window dressing in her films. I have watched "Julie & Julia" more than a dozen times -- not just because I love Meryl Streep, but also because I loved the places she lived and the clothes she wore and the food that she ate -- all that had been lovingly selected for me by Nora Ephron, the writer and filmmaking goddess.

When I went to film school I was often in screenwriting classes where the guys would pitch these elaborate sci-fi stories that I didn't understand but seemed wildly creative -- and at the end of a half hour of pontificating about the wonders of the universe they had invented, they would say, "Oh, and I'm going to give him a love interest." That was the female character in the film -- no attention would be paid to her character development. She would be petite and busty and wear glasses. No doubt she would be in the same class as Denise Richards who played the most unbelievable role of Dr. Christmas Jones, astrophysicist in one of the more horrendous offerings in the James Bond series. Denise Richards, seriously?

The screenplays I attempted to write always started with the female character. It was all about her conflict and her inability to find love. So it was inevitable that I would find my way to the worship of Nora Ephron. She defined romantic comedies for a generation.  And now that she's no longer working -- it seems fitting that the romantic comedy is no longer working at the movies either. 

Will women have to put up with just being a "love interest" in the movies for the next generation? I know everyone loves "Girls" on HBO and the writer is supposed to be the voice of the new female generation.  She shows love as it is in reality -- and it ain't pretty.

But what about the Nora Ephron generation?

We need someone who will tell us stories about romance while also taking us on a fantasy tour of locations that we will never be able to see in person, but will always love from afar because Nora Ephron took me to visit there once. I've never been to Katz's Deli in NYC, but I know I'd love it and the pastrami is probably the best in the world. How do I know? Nora Ephron told me so.

In conclusion, I hope that somewhere out there beneath the star-filled sky, there lurks a female filmmaker who, of course, won't be able to fill Nora Ephron's shoes, but will at least pays homage to her and her style. And please make it happen soon.

Just a couple of swells...

Since being introduced to them, I have been completely enamored of the comedy duo of Elaine May and Mike Nichols. So I was very excited to read May's answers to the Proust questionnaire in the Hollywood edition of Vanity Fair. Mike Nichols has long been one of my favorite directors. Can you believe he directed Working Girl, The Birdcage, and The Graduate? I know. It doesn't seem like those films have anything in common -- except for the Academy Awards. Which brings me to the exciting news that the Oscars are this weekend. Have you seen all of the Best Film nominees, yet? We're almost there...Right now, Slumdog Millionaire has my vote. Going to an Academy Award party? Don't forget to your Oscar ballot. I can hardly wait to see who walks the red carpet this year and what they're wearing. I wonder if the economic downturn will effect all the glamor and glitz. By the way, Turner Classic Movies has been showing Academy Award nominated films throughout the month of February in honor of the Oscars. I caught a triple-feature back-to-back-to-back of Double Indemnity, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Some Like It Hot on Monday. It just doesn't get much better than that. I also watched a bit of The King and I the other night in a wine bar. I couldn't hear the sound, but it looked fantastic! Made this glimpse of Jerome Robbins even more fun.

Luck Be A Lady Tonight

Rumor has it that the company I work for will be laying off approximately 1,000 employees on Monday. I believe I have a 50-50 chance of keeping my job. The report on the escalating unemployment rate in the United States this morning scared me to death...but I'm going to attempt to remain positive. It's tough. The minute that they tell you that your job may be in jeopardy, your skill set suddenly seems very small. I can write headlines and update a news website, but can I serve up a spicy bean burrito at the Drive-thru window? In the mean time...I'm going to focus on all the fun stuff that's happening right now.

Sunday is the Golden Globes awards. They mean nothing...the show does act as an unofficial kick-off to the award season...and I think it's great fun to see all the movie stars dressed up in gorgeous gowns to do the red carpet walk. And since they serve alcohol...the acceptance speeches can get outrageous. Good times!

Is it me or does the computer-enhanced image of what Barack Obama will look like at the end of two terms as President of the United States look a bit like George W. Bush? Scary, isn't it?

Check out this grand old dame of a distant era....photos here.

Oh and CNN put together a list of companies that will be hiring in 2009. Just in case!

Cinderellavision

Emma Thompson plays a real Cinderella...or is it Dustin Hoffman? Either way. It intrigues!

Fasten Your Seatbelts...It's Going To Be A Bumpy Night

If asked to come up with a one-word summation of 2008, I would have to say, "Bumpy." 2008 was full of surprises, unfortunately so many of them were disappointments. I am, however, most grateful to have my health and be gainfully employed going into the new year. In order to create a new world order for the year of 2009 that will dawn on the morrow, I have taken to repeating a one-word mantra for the New Year.

Bliss.

It is my hope for the new year.

Bliss.

It's a lovely word, isn't it? Saying it is almost as good as taking a spa vacation. It trips over the tongue as deliciously as a chocolate truffle. I've been silently repeating it over and over in great hopes that I will be able to manifest a "blissful" new year. You too should find one-word mantra of your very own to help guide you into 2009. I'd love to know what your word is. Please let me know.

• Don't try to fool me. I know you got a copy of "Dewey the small-town library cat who touched the world" about the life and times of Dewey Readmore Books in your Christmas stocking. I'm certain that you haven't been able to put it down since then, but to shuffle into the kitchen to make a cup of herbal spiced tea. Well, listen up fans of Dewey, the word on the street is that librarian and best-selling author Vicky Myron has adopted a new kitten -- appropriately named Page. Photographic proof available here.

• Continuing on the same theme...here's another cat who was in the news in 2008. Check out the photos of Frankie the cat burglar. He has no remorse about his crimes. None whatsoever.

• What's up with the chick flick? It's always been my favorite genre. Why is Hollywood trying so hard to harsh on my buzz?

• Do you remember when it was cool to be a tomboy? Nowadays everyone just assumes being a tomboy is the same as lesbian. It's really too bad.

Editor's Note: Today's "blissful" woodland scene is brought to you by the Handsomest Man Alive whose plans to travel back to sunny Southern California for New Year's Eve have been changed by a snowstorm in the Northeast. Falling snow is so beautiful when you're some place safe and warm.

Daily Hot Flash

• Didja watch The Sound of Music last night on an HD television? Oh yeah, you did. Stop denying it. You know you can't turn away when Maria and the kids break-out the marionettes and start singing "The Lonely Goatherd." It's as much of a holiday tradition as the Christmas tree near the front window in your living room. Every time I watch, I have a new favorite scene. Last night it was when Maria and Captain von Trapp do the little folk dance in the garden and they're discovered by the evil Baroness who sends the virgin governess packing in the next scene. Passion! Intrigue! Jealousy! Woo-hoo! In real life, Maria wasn't as cool as Julie Andrews, but that doesn't mean that I'm not just as intrigued by the idea of spending a weekend in Vermont. Yo-da-lady-hee-hoo!

• When I run away from home...this is where I will be found. I hope.

• 39 years-old and she's never looked better. Go Cinderella Cate!

• Turns out it's the Internet that's killing the book business . It has nothing to do with the current recession...

• Colonel Peacock in the drawing room with the lead pipe! Please forgive my irreverance, a life has been lost, but Agatha Christie would've loved this. If only Hercule Poirot was onboard, the murder mystery would've been solved by the time they reached port and everyone on the ship would've had their fingerprints on the murder weapon.

• Single and solvent is the new luxury lifestyle being targeted by a new glossy niche magazine...raise your hand if you're solvent enough to buy a glossy magazine to read with your $4 coffee! I don't see many...

Daily Hot Flash

Photographic proof that Santa got my Christmas wish list. I wonder if George is on the nice list or the naughty list? Yeah. That's what I'm thinkin'. I've just gotta few articles of interest today. It's Monday, so I'm not quite up to speed.

• "Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window."

• This is Betty's favorite television viewing night of the year. Mark your calendars. This year's Kennedy Center Honors is broadcast on Dec. 30. Oh, and here's everyone looking all glammed up at the event this past weekend.

• Nina Foch was my acting teaching when I was at USC Film School. I was intimidated by her because I remembered her so distinctly in "An American in Paris." She never took a shine to me mostly I think because I didn't have any self-confidence -- something that she oozed from every pore. She was great at breaking down a scene, and making it make sense for an actor. A true actor's actor. The other thing she taught me was that if you want to seem sexy to a man then you should act as if you have secret. It will make you seem irresistible. I have attempted to use that technique on numerous occasions, but with little success. Nina was a bright light, and the world will be a little dimmer without her.

• Here's the top 20 trends in fashion in 2008...I doubt I hit one of them. And you?

• And they call it puppy love...home sweet home.

Daily Hot Flash

• Ah! The memoir of the arrogantly lovely Christopher Plummer -- yes! I want to read it! The seduction of Maria by Captain Von Trapp (as played by Christopher Plummer) in The Sound of Music remains one of the most beautiful (and cheesy like Velveeta) onscreen romances ever. It rates right up there with Casablanca and Notorious in my book. It's Christmas, it's time to dust off your DVD copy and watch it again. (Don't tell me you don't own it!) Is there a plain Jane spinster in the world who isn't holding out a hope of meeting her own surly Captain with a beautiful schloss in the bucolic countryside near Salzburg? Yes, I have a feeling there are a lot of other people who feel the same way. When I was in my twenties, I was a bridesmaid in a wedding where the bride walked up the aisle to the "Maria" wedding processional played on a gigantic pipe organ. It was totally over the top! Why are the bridesmaids smiling as they watch her march up the aisle? More Velveeta, please!

• Did you read any of these in 2008? Me neither. Why doesn't anyone ever come up with an end-0f-year list of notable trashy books that we devoured like chocolate-covered candies? I read some great chick lit this year -- Kristin Harmel and Jane Porter became two of my new favorite authors. Delicious stories about real women. And did you know that Sue Grafton's latest mystery is out in paperback for Christmas? Yum. Yum. I'm sure the books on the New York Times list are very notable, but I'd prefer a list of books that are as delicious as 'sugar plums.' Maybe the LA Times could do it...or not.

• One of my favorite little corners of Los Angeles is Tujunga Valley. I didn't know that it had name. Not only is the food at the magical Aroma Cafe fantastic, there's a wonderful little yarn shop just across the street. Oh, and did I mention that Robert Blake popped his ex-wife at the Italian restaurant on the corner? I mean, he 'allegedly' popped his wife...I didn't follow the case and don't know how it turned out...

• Hello aspiring screenwriters! Here's another news story that is easily adaptable into an action film. All you need to do is attach Bruce Willis and you've got the outline for Die Hard 4: Rough Water...Get thee to the closest Starbucks and fire up your lap top now!

• He's no Tim Russert...but then those are awfully big shoes to fill. Go Bills!

Daily Hot Flash

I've been struggling with life lately...I'll tell you why when I get the courage. So I haven't been blogging. I know, I probably should've...but I'm not that brave. I was pushed into posting some links today because there were so many articles about stuff that interests me in cyberspace...and I thought maybe you might be into it too.

• I have two words for you...Steve. McQueen. Immortalized on film and in one my favorite songs by Sheryl Crow, he's the sexiest man who ever lived. And since I've been living in Santa Clarita, I have also fallen in love with the adorable little Santa Paula Airport. It's the opposite of LAX. Which for those of you who use it regularly know...is another word for Hell.

• When I interviewed to intern at Lightstorm Entertainment when I first moved to Los Angeles, I told them that my favorite film was "A Room With A View." What do you expect from a girl who loves books? I'm certain that's the reason the people behind films like "Terminator" and "The Abyss" asked me to read scripts for them. Since I'm unable to travel -- can't afford it and can't do it due to health problems -- I've been doing a lot of imaginary travel. I'm living vicariously through friends who are traveling and watching a lot of House Hunters International. There are three places I have always wanted to see in person...Italy, Hawaii and India.

• Ok, so even if I AM dying, my plans to have my ashes scattered near my girl Jane Austen have been foiled. Not to mention the fact that obviously, my idea was NOT original.

• I don't know who I love more...Maureen Dowd or Tina Fey. They're both in my top ten of favorite girl writers.

• I love it when the press refers to my plans to overeat over the holidays by the euphemism "eating issues." As if!

Daily Hot Flash

• Tonight is the night! Top Chef takes a bite out of the Big Apple. I don't know about you but my New York City will always be Holly Golightly's version.

• Boxers, Silks Or Briefs...Maureen Dowd hits the target.

• Hold the popcorn. I can hardly afford the ticket and the parking. Hey! Can I get the senior discount? I still have my student ID...yes, it has been twenty years...

• Feeling a little blue? It's time for Puppy Cam. No seriously, you thought that Facebook was taking up all your time. I dare you to look away when these little guys start to squirm. And yes, you can watch in full screen.

Free TV Show from Ustream

Daily Hot Flash

• Michelle gets the VIP tour and then calls Hillary for some tips on living in a fish bowl. As for Sarah...God help us!

• I love chocolate...I'm just not sure I love chocolate that someone has worn all that much!

• Don't forget to stop into your local Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf today for yer FREE holiday beverage today! You'll be humming "Fa-la-la-la-lah!" for the rest of the day.

• Oopsy Daisy! This is why I've never wanted to take the helm of an ocean-going vessel. I've never managed to master the art of a three-point turn (mine are in double digits) in a Civic for heaven's sake.

• I can't believe that the Beaver's older brother is an artist worthy of the Louvre. It seems crazy, doesn't it? Just yesterday morning I was watching an episode where his parents were worried that he was getting too serious with a girl.

• Visit glamorous locations where James Bond movies where filmed. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that most of the chicks I know believe wherever Daniel Craig is at any given time is the most desirable place to be.

• Just because she's gay isn't going to keep this Cinderella from getting married...again...and again...and again.

• From the Department of Could-be-true...Could be crap. In the interest of full disclosure, I've always been on Team Aniston.

Daily Hot Flash

• What's a girl to do now that she doesn't have Sarah Palin to kick around anymore? Escape to a tropical island? I wish...

• Back when John McCain first picked Sarah Palin as his running mate, I was enraged. How dare he believe that a rockin' chick like Hillary Clinton could so easily be replaced with just another vagina. It doesn't work for me...and it doesn't work for Gloria Steinem. I love it when a chick with some serious gravitas gets your back.

• The Handsomest Man Alive sent me the link to this article by Maureen Dowd in the New York Times. He has pretty good taste, I think. Don't you?

• I'm thrilled to say that the Brit comedian Stephen Fry started following me on Twitter this morning. Me and 10,000 other people across the globe. Now if only Rachel Maddow would follow me back. Yes, I have become addicted to tweeting...but that doesn't mean that Miss Goldie Rush will be getting her own twitter account any time soon.

• Joan Allen is going to play artist Georgia O'Keefe in a made-for-television movie. Joan and Georgia are two of my favorite artists.

• This post on Jezebel combines two of my most very favorite things: Project Runway and Michelle Obama's fashion sense. Thank you!

• Are you sleeping? Yeah. Me neither.

Daily Hot Flash

• Gobama! We've got high hopes!

• Some words of wisdom from a real Cinderella.

• Rumors of the new First Family adopting a labradoodle puppy to go with them to the White House may be untrue. The Obamas may be looking to adopt a rescue puppy to be First Dog. I'm working on the screenplay over the weekend about the puppy on death row at a Chicago shelter that is chosen at random to go and live in the White House. No stealing my idea!

• I'm just not sure if this is a good idea...or not. I was very disappointed in the first movie version...if the second one is just as depressing...I'll save my $14 for a Cosmopolitan at the bar.

• The GOP is sending Sarah Palin to virtual Siberia. Did they not know that she's from Alaska? She knows how to deal with the cold and the snow. Geesh! You guys fight like girls!

• The L.A. Dodgers show Manny the money.

Daily Hot Flash

Happy Halloween! May all your trick-or-treat buckets be filled with chocolate. I, myself, am going to attempt to eat my weight in candy corn. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. There's so much to talk about today...

• Did you know that 2008 was the year of the nightly newswoman? Oh yeah, sisters are doing it for themselves.

• The LACMA (which used to be a block from my house when I lived in Los Angeles) has succumbed to the cult of celebrity. I am still a member of the museum and I just might have to swing past and check it out!

• Just so you know, you're not the first person who has announced (usually under the influence of a couple glasses of cabernet) that if John McCain wins the election, you're moving to the great white north! So many people are packing their bags for Canada that someone's taken the time to put together a soundtrack of Canadian music for your listening pleasure on arrival.

• Wait a minute! Brit guitar god Peter Frampton lives in Ohio! How did this happen?

• I'm not sure if this Frenchy film about a woman of a certain age who pays for sex is intriguing or insulting. I'll let you read over the review and decide for yourself. Films with subtitles have to be very very good for me to want to go see them. Especially now that my eyesight is not my most highly developed of the senses. To be honest, the only sense I have left that is highly developed is my sense of humor. (Insert rimshot here!) Two shows nightly, ladies and gentlemen! ...And try the veal!

• It's 'Little House On the Prairie' on Manhattan! Laura Ingalls Wilder would be sooo jealous!

• Just in case you haven't had enough Halloween haunts yet...

Daily Hot Flash

• "I'll have what she's having..."A few years ago I went to see a film adaptation of Henry Miller's "Golden Bowl" at a small movie theatre in Beverly Hills. It was a Saturday night and I was all alone in the theatre. Who else would be interested in seeing a costume drama/tragedy on a Saturday night? Much to my surprise, a few minutes after I sat down, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and their respective wives sat down in the row right in front of me. I was beside myself. I wanted to call everyone I knew on my cell phone and tell them what was happening. I wanted to go all James Lipton on them, and ask them questions about writing comedy. And I thought Anne Bancroft was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I'm so sorry they're both gone.

• Elizabeth Edwards seems like one of the most genuine political wives in recent history. She handles life's hurdles with grace.
  

• I don't know who this dude thinks he's kidding. I have a feeling there are a lot more people who'd like to see a 50 year-old supermodel naked than see him stripped down to his boxer shorts.
  

• Still searching for something fun to do on Halloween?

• If you have some extra cash lying around, you might want to consider bidding on this auction.

Daily Hot Flash

• From the department of tell-me-a-little-something-that-isn't-playing-nightly-in-the-privacy-of-my-own-home: we're all losing sleep over the current state of the economy. I vote we all designate one person's house (Does anyone know anyone in Kansas?) as the meeting place. Middle America just seems cozy and most convenient. We can gather there in our jammies for some cocoa and late night chit-chat. If you don't think that'll work, there's always yoga, pilates, a spicy cabernet or, if you can get 'em...prescription drugs.

• I went with the Handsomest Man Alive, Part One and The Sequel last night to see the L.A. Kings play the Detroit Red Wings. He shoots! He scores! He shoots! He scores! It was great!

• I just love it when real life turns into the plot of a Disney movie. If only for a few minutes, an entire major metropolitan airport is foiled by the hijinks of a poodle.

• One of my favorite children's books ever -- Walter the Farting Dog -- is coming to the big screen.
  

• I was watching the other day when MSNBC commentator Chuck Todd made a reference to Shakespeare in his election coverage. And I'm still watching...

• Meet Amy Adams. I believe she's a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood.

Cinderella Blows

It's time to add another candle to the cake to blow out. This year, Cinderella's thinking of just setting the whole damn cake on fire. I mean seriously, how did I get this old? I knew it happened to other people, but to moi? Tres tragic! I do think I have more to celebrate now that I'm a woman over 40. My mom once wisely told me that at some point birthdays change from being an embarrassment to a victory. I think she couldn't be more right on. I do know that I have found with each passing year that I become more nostalgic for symbols of my youth. I grew up in the 80s and have a soft spot in my heart for John Hughes' films. A filmmaker from Chicago he seemed to speak right to my Midwestern heart when he made films like "Sixteen Candles" about the high school ugly duckling who got Jake Ryan, the cutest boy in school, as her Prince Charming. Girls of my vintage wanted to play hooky with Ferris Bueller, and make-out with Andrew McCarthy in the stables at his very rich parents' Country Club. I thought John Hughes was a genius all the way up until "Uncle Buck". Whatever your dreams are...I hope you're pursuing them today and every day. That is my birthday wish today in the 45th year of my life.

Daily Hot Flash

• It's that time of year when it's fun to sneak up on people and say, 'Boo!' If you want to really get into the mood of the season you can take ghostly tours in haunted places.

• Sarah Palin sold Alaska's airplane, but then she got all snippy when she couldn't have free access to someone else's plane. As if! I hope when the election is over...Sarah Palin gets to keep her expensive new wardrobe. She can think of it as a consolation prize. And I think that $2,500 Valentino jacket will look great underneath her Carhartts when the winter winds of Alaska start blowing....

• Reality to Sarah Palin...When the going gets tough...the tough go shopping in the hardware aisle.

• This is a Public Service Announcement! Do not send your grandchildren, who are calling you from Canada, thousands of dollars if you don't have grandchildren in Canada.

• He's the antidote to Sister Parish's sense of style. English Country Decor! Oh my!

• Quick! Somebody pitch this to Hollywood...James Bond and the President of the United States team up to save the world from total annihilation.

• Watch Chris Matthews do what he does best...make well-paid political spin masters wish that they worked at Dippin' Dots. What makes it even more pfun is that it's Republican flak-jacket Nancy Pfotenhauer.