March 22, 1998

Golden Men, All In A Row

Can I hold that, just for a second?

I park on-campus at USC, in the structure right across the street from the Shrine Auditorium, where there has been much bustle going on this week. There's some kind of awards show going on there tomorrow.

It is kind of cool to see the giant, 30-foot-tall Oscar statues up against the building, even if they look much cheesier in person. Plus the bleachers, for the fans who have been camped out there for a week now (PU!), and the variety of scaffolding, to hold the klieg lights and the decorations.

There's only one way I'm ever going to the Oscars. I hope I don't sound too egotistical, but I am going, dammit.

Len, who was nominated for Kiss of the Spider Woman, has told us funny stories about going to the Oscars (none of which, sadly, I can repeat). As a member of the Academy, he gets an invitation every year, but when you're not nominated, you have to pay $500 a seat. (Or maybe it's $500 for the pair. I can't remember.) He told us he knows lots of Academy members who buy their seats and then scalp them for thousands of dollars.

I guess going to the Awards is a great networking opportunity. After all, you're in a room where you can recognize every single damn person. I think the Vanity Fair party would be a better networking place though.

I'm all the way to page 21 with Raymond. It's like pulling teeth. Not only am I not in the flow, but the sitcom script format actively annoys me. Reading a script is hard enough; the sitcom format is completely unreadable.

Here's what film (and dramatic series) format looks like:

    DARTH VADER enters the room and immediately decapitates the 
    nearest lieutenant.

            DARTH
          (returns lightsabre to belt)
        I told you to inform me when the 
        Krispy Kreme hot light came on!

    The other stormtroopers exit, running towards the nearest
    doughnut shop.

And here's the same bit in sitcom format:

    DARTH VADER ENTERS THE ROOM AND IMMEDIATELY DECAPITATES THE
    NEAREST LIEUTENANT.

            DARTH
        (RETURNS LIGHTSABRE TO BELT) I told 
        you to inform me when the Krispy Kreme 
        hot light came on!

    THE OTHER STORMTROOPERS EXIT, RUNNING TOWARDS THE NEAREST
    DOUGHNUT SHOP.

Gag me with a power drill.

There's evidently a groundswell under way to change script format altogether--getting rid of sluglines, for example. A slugline is the line that tells you where and when you are

    INT. DIANE'S OFFICE - DAY    <-- the slugline
        
    DIANE cries into her diet shake as she rereads her 
    Raymond script.

But if you're writing a script, don't try to be cute. Follow the format. Breaking the rules shows that you're an amateur, honest. There are too many other scripts for agents and producers to look at without having to wade through your "unconventional" approach.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

Yesterday: went to the gym in the afternoon, lifted weights. On the days when I do weights, I also do 15 minutes on the stationary bike. I had zero energy. It was hell keeping the RPM at 70, let alone 80, where I like to have it.

Today: 3 miles. Running went better than doing the bike yesterday. Maybe it's a morning/afternoon thing, or maybe I was low on potassium or something. But this one day good, one day bad thing sucks.