Why I Blog
February, 12, 2009 8:20 pm | Comments On #When asked if she liked to write, Gloria Steinem remarked famously, “I like to have written.” I used to think it was Dorothy Parker who said that but, never mind the source, it’s exactly how I feel about writing. Let me amend that. This is exactly how I feel about blogging.
Now that I’ve contributed a few entries to TheWrap, a number of people have asked me why I’m doing this. Any question can be asked in any number of ways with its specific tone and subtext. Especially in this town, every such inquiry seems loaded. If the question is coming from my wife, Priscilla (the talented film editor I have been married to for 18 years), the subtext is practical: How does this help you get movies made? If the question is asked by a cynical peer in the movie biz (not hard to find), they might be trying to unearth the...
Read MoreJudd Apatow Should Have His Own Talk Show
February, 08, 2009 2:35 pm | Comments On #david t. friendly, dustin lance black, eric roth, judd apatow, MoviesJudd Apatow is a national treasure. Why, you might ask, am I patronizing this talented writer-director and king of all things comedy on this day instead of any other? I had the pleasure of watching him moderate a panel last week called “Beyond Words” that featured five of the most recognized writers this year: Simon Beaufoy (“Slumdog Millionaire”) Dustin lance Black (“Milk”) Tom McCarthy (“The Visitor”) Jonathan Nolan “”The Dark Knight”) and Eric Roth (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”).
Let me begin by saying this was some deal. For 20 bucks, my date for the night, Adam Herschman -- a hilarious actor (“Accepted”) and a writer himself who had a nice turn as the music intern in “Soul Men” for me -- and I got to hear some...
Read MoreSuper Bowl winner is . . . Hollywood
February, 03, 2009 5:47 pm | Comments On #commercials, halftime, Hollywood, springsteen, Super BowlHaving watched every play of Super Bowl XLIII Sunday, I can honestly say that it was perhaps the best game in the history of this storied championship. Perhaps far more important, did you happen to catch the game within the game? While the Steelers and the Cardinals fought to the bitter end in a hard-hitting contest, the studios did their own warfare in 30-second bites. Of the 67 spots that aired during the game, ten were trumpeting movies. At $2.7 million per 30-second spot, I take that as a positive sign for the overall health of the movie game.
Sure, you could argue that the very need for these incredibly expensive ads is further proof of how hard and how pricey it is to connect with the coveted "target audience." But the very fact that the studios can afford these ads and remain convinced they are making sound investments when plunking down that...
Read MoreLay off 'Slumdog'!
February, 01, 2009 5:39 pm | Comments On #amores perros, Bollywood, danny boyle, david friendly, Movies, mumbai, poverty, slumdog, Slumdog MillionaireAs an ex-reporter and current day producer, the so-called "controversy" over "Slumdog Millionaire" offends me on so many levels I'm not quite sure where to begin.
Some people claim the movie exploits the abject poverty omnipresent in Mumbai. I wonder if these same critics would have attacked the movie "The Grapes of Wrath" as exploiting the hungry underclass in this country?
Would they also have gone after the memorable "Amores Perros" for selling tickets on the backs of the underbelly of Mexico City? (Full disclosure: My deal is at Fox where I was one of the "Little Miss Sunshine" producers. I also had nothing to do with the making of "Slumdog".)
When I was a cub reporter at Newsweek a long, long time ago, I had an editor who used to always remind me to "...
Read MoreDescription
Academy Award-nominated producer David T. Friendly is a 20-year veteran of the film business and one of Hollywood's most prolific producers. His movies have grossed over a billion dollars worldwide.
- Cannes 2012: Michael Haneke's 'Amour' Wins Palme d'Or
- 'The Dark Knight Rises' Teases Audiences with Kinky Catwoman Poster
- 'The Avengers': 5 Things You Need to Know If You Don't Read Comic Books
- 'Men in Black 3': What the Critics Think of Will Smith's Sci-Fi Sequel
- Forget 'Patton' - Here Are 6 Underrated War Movies to Watch on Memorial Day
- 'Men in Black 3' Powers to $202M at Worldwide Box Office
- George Clooney and Julia Roberts Court Each Other (With a Lawsuit)
- 'Dark Knight Rises' Dazzles at CinemaCon in Near-Dialogue-Free Preview
- Cannes 2012: Does the Palme d'Or Race Come Down to Naughty vs. Nice?
- Cannes 2012: 'In the Fog,' 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' Win Critics Awards
- Cannes 2012: Michael Haneke's 'Amour' Wins Palme d'Or
- ‘The Master’: Paul Thomas Anderson Reaches Out to Scientologist Tom Cruise (Exclusive)
- Lindsay Lohan's Face: An Evolution in 60 Seconds (Video)
- 'The Avengers': 5 Things You Need to Know If You Don't Read Comic Books
- 'SNL': Lorne Michaels and Fred Armisen on Who's Staying and Who's Leaving the Cast
- Nicolas Cage Bailed Out by ... Dog the Bounty Hunter?
- Cannes 2012: Critics Don't Like 'On the Road,' but They Blame Jack Kerouac
- John Travolta Massage Suit: Former John Doe Lawyer Sues Gloria Allred
- The Blockbuster That Ate Hollywood: Why ‘Avengers’ Is Crowding the Box Office
- George Clooney and Julia Roberts Court Each Other (With a Lawsuit)
- Supercouple Smackdown at Cannes: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson vs Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
- EXCLUSIVE: Brittany Murphy 'Barely There' on Recent Movie
- TheWrap Investigates: 11 Players Have Committed Suicide
- Perez Hilton Tweets Another Full Frontal Miley Cyrus Photo
- Lindsay Lohan's Full Nude Playboy Spread Leaks Online -- Playboy 'Freaking' (Warning: NSFW)
- Arianna's $250K Bus to Jon Stewart Rally a 'Shock' at HuffPo HQ
- LaToya Scene Now Out of 'Bruno'
- Warner Bros. Shelves Mel Gibson Maccabee Movie (Exclusive)
- Perez Hilton's Upcoming Book Outselling Carrie Prejean's
- Joe Eszterhas' Letter to Mel Gibson
- Transcript of Mel Gibson Rant to Joe Eszterhas
