There's magic in the air

What a rewarding experience the screening of THE WHOLE TRUTH was at the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival.

While the crowd could have been larger, the audience genuinely loved this film. Many laughs were had - including mine and I've seen it a bazillion times.

Q and A afterward was fantastic - one person is an "expert witness" in hundreds of trials and says there's more truth than fiction in the film and he thought it was a great, funny film; he wants to show it to all his colleagues.

Charlie Prince, who heads up the fest, was profuse in his praise of our film and how proud they were to screen it; he was surprised that it was my first feature because of its quality and the great performances of the actors.

One woman commented that she was "shocked" by Elisabeth Röhm's outstanding and hilarious performance. That Elisabeth was so "out there," when she had been only used to seeing Elisabeth in heavy dramatic roles.

Charlie said members of the fest's advisory board, including Nathan Lane, viewed the film and gave it highest marks, which is how it was selected.

I said of all the festivals, this is one I was perhaps most proud because it represents more than 100 years of advocating for comedy - meaning our First Amendment rights. To Friars, comedy is no laughing matter!

At the reception for feature filmmakers, we filmmakers noted that the Friars' festival is perhaps the most pure and pristine on the planet; perhaps since its their first. There are no politics involved, all films were judged for their quality, period, and all submitted were screened.

My partner Gary Allen Tucci was told outright that we were not accepted at one festival because of the way our materials were submitted. The festival runner said film festivals are "political," that if you know how to play the game you're in, If not? To quote Heidi Klum: you're out.

He added that in many cases, if the materials do not include something special and separate that makes them stand out, they may not even screen the film because so many are submitted.

Lesson learned! We'll have pop-ups and stars and who knows what else to include with a super film in THE LONELY GOATHERD (Heart Break Productionz next feature!). For other festivals, that is. We won't need 'em for the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival - just a good film, well made, which we know will be screened by pro's.

Edited to add: I've failed to mention the international nature of the festival! Films from any and every country could submit their shorts and features - and all the films I've seen from other nations (English and non-English speaking) are funny in any language, even those heavy on the subtitles.

Knowing how many nations submitted their is so incredibly humbling, since only a few features were selected for the festival.

I told Charlie he might consider calling it the Friars Club International Comedy Film Festival, but he said he thought the title might be a little long. Not for me, but I'm not a film festival marketer, either.

BTW, Charlie said they learned their lesson re: the luncheons. Next time, there will be networking luncheons for filmmakers! They were trying to offset some of the costs of the festival by having luncheons for big spenders, and realize now they will find other ways to do that.

My experience at this festival has been (still another day of it left, but the pressure is off now!) memorable. Our film has been treated with such respect and admiration; their appreciation of the work and us filmmakers has been palpable. I've also made some new BFF's whose work I admire as well.

Thanks to a producer I met recently, I was able to hook up with an influential attorney here who reps films in distribution and other deals, meet folks whose opinion of the film is influential and hand off copies of the film's screeners to distributors interested in getting our film to a theater near you.

Which, hopefully, will happen sooner than later.

For The Goat, we should have a pre-production distribution deal in place so we don't ever have to go through this again. Pre-production distribution deals (a distributor signs up to take your film, still having the right to refuse to distribute it if it doesn't meet its quality and financial obligations) are common, and with budgets less than $10 million distributors don't interfere with the filmmakers' process. They are free to comment at any point, but the final decisions still rest with the filmmakers.

At the high end deals with studios, the studio has a say from the getgo about everything. Which is why I remain "Indie."

And oh, so happy to have had the opportunity to participate in the maiden voyage of the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival!

Congratulations Charlie Prince and Susannah Gora on presenting such a successful event.

Friars Club Comedy Film Festival ticket info!

Due to popular demand!

THE WHOLE TRUTH schedule for the festival, where you can also buy tickets.

Location of the venues; THE WHOLE TRUTH screens at the Paley Center for Media.

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Saturday a.m:

I forgot to tell you that at the Coen Brothers' festival premiere Thursday night for THE SERIOUS MAN, there was a major red carpet for everyone involved with the film fest to pass through before entering the theater, lined with glaring lights and many paparazzi, all eagerly waiting to get shots of celebrities.

Well, John Fugelsang and I arrived quite early for the film, me believing it started an hour before it actually did, so we start walking toward the theater when one of the photographers recognizes John and calls out to him. John happily shook his hand and as they chatted, the other photographers were abuzz: Who is that guy? What's going on?

I smiled and handed them placards for THE WHOLE TRUTH, telling them he's one of the stars of the film - which is in the festival.

Suddenly they all started taking photos of John - who was looking mah-velous - and one TV crew even interviewed him with silly pop culture questions - at which John is the master. So whatever program interviewed him was sure to air it, he was so articulate and clever (Q: "Who has the biggest boobs in show business today?" John: "William Morris.")

Casting agent Russell Boast is meeting me before the 3pm screening today - some of our crew members (UPM Alexis Arnold, 2nd AD Jessica Hong, film changer Webb) - I'm really looking forward to seeing them again. A distributor will also be on hand as my guest; afterward I'm meeting briefly with a highly recommended distribution attorney who will have seen our film, and who knows what the evening will bring?

Tomorrow evening the awards dinner and closing ceremonies will be held; I hope to catch a couple festival films earlier. I've been so busy getting the word out about our screening I haven't had a chance to enjoy any other films but the Coen Brothers' THE SERIOUS MAN.

I've taken photos, but have to get a downloading connection for my computer before I can show them!

Friday:

was spent delivering a screening DVD to a distributor's office and checking out many NYC landmarks, carrying my film's placards, which I handed out at every opportunity.

Broadway, 30 Rock, Rockefeller Center, Times Square are but a few I visited. I had to take photos where Tina Fey works and walks (admitted fan), I also bought a 30 Rock cap, which looks mighty fine resting on my noggin if I do say so.

I walked miles around the city today as well as took taxi's a couple times. They are quite affordable here.

John Fugelsang and his wife papered East and West Greenwich Village with placards today.

Turns out the luncheon we expected to attend today was only for big spenders at the festival - not filmmakers. One of the organizers apologized profusely for the misunderstanding - this is the second time it's happened.

I think it's a reflection of inexperience - this being their first festival. We filmmakers are surprised, since the key spirit of any festival is supposed to be about appreciating films and filmmakers, not just the folks who pay huge bucks to the sponsoring organization.

Another similar for-big-spenders luncheon is being held tomorrow, discussing screenwriting. Which means that at the end of the festival, filmmakers will have had no special luncheon or dinner, just separate receptions for shorts and feature makers.

It's always good to have gatherings for the filmmakers so we can network, get to know each other and learn from one another.

Meanwhile, today was the first of the full slate of films to be screened - I'll see how they fared!

I checked out the screening venue for tomorrow; it is beautiful and state-of-the-art. Very cool.

The weather was gorgeous today, cooling just enough to make walking comfortable, just humid enough not to frizz hair that frizzes involuntarily in a very humid atmosphere.
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Thursday:

THE SERIOUS MAN, the new Coen Brothers' film, was extremely well received in its Ziegfield Theater screening. I've linked its TIME magazine review, which echoes the sentiments of the folks with whom I saw it.

It's not a rolling in the aisles laugh-a-minute film, but it is a reflection on the comedy of life - showing that we have two choices: real life or death that comes in several varieties. Do something that is true to yourself and you're alive, do nothing and stagnation will smother you slowly but surely, do something that flies in the face of who you are, no matter the motivation? It will kill you.

John Fugelsang and I passed on the reception with the Coens in favor of friendship - taking the opportunity for quality time. As we walked around the Central Park area, we ran into a number of people he knows here who are well connected in the industry - each of whom got a placard for our film! John plays two roles in it - one of which makes him totally unrecognizable.

Post-screening John had an appointment with Air America - he had to make another radio appearance. He's a guest on the Stephanie Miller Show this morning.

Meanwhile, I had a delightful late breakfast with filmmaker and actor ("ER" "Juno") Steven C. Parker, his mom and dad. Steven is the real deal - I'll see his short film BIBLE CLIFF NOTES this weekend. Watch for more of his work in the future!

N-Y-C!

Briefly:

Landed at LaGuardia airport last night about 10pm and wow - the place was empty.

Shockingly so. The taxi driver said it's been this way for a while and it's a concern since September is usually a bustling time in the Big Apple.

ONLY take cars marked TAXI, btw, from the airport. The other, unmarked cars, who call themselves taxis (the hotel clerk called them notorious "black car taxis") charge exceedingly inflated rates. The polite drivers approach you inside the airport, ask if you need a taxi, when you say yes, they grab your bag and lead you to their cars - taking advantage of newbies who don't know about these things. When they arrive at your destination, they hit you with an enormous charge.

I found you can refuse to pay that amount, btw, because there is no meter. The driver may not be happy, but there's nothing they can do about it.

Or ... so I heard...

My hotel room at the Wellington is just right - perfect location near all the venues, not to little and not too large, full of history - and not cheap but not inflated rates, either.

It's warm and humid - my hair doesn't fare well in high humidity. I've walked everywhere, so Little Orphan Annie and I have something in common, now, and it's not the red dress.

I checked in for all my credentials and badges at the Friars Club and my goodness. Talk about history. More than a century of show business and comedy history; almost all men of course. But the photos and the name-dropping rooms (Billy Crystal Bar) leave me in wonder of all the souls and talent who have wandered the halls and rooms.

The Friars were pleased to discover, after our film was selected, that our own Elisabeth Röhm is a member!

Other filmmakers showed up to register, and we all have that, "Been there, done that" look of anyone who's done a comedy (it's such a subjective thing-we've all taken our hits along with the praise!).

I'm also dropping screeners of THE WHOLE TRUTH off to distributors who have requested them, with the placard we're handing out to New Yorkers and tourists. I find myself talking about the film with individuals more than passing out the placards. The folks who stop are genuinely interested in a screwball comedy that isn't the "vapid" (their words, not mine!) version we get from Hollywood these days, but a modernized throwback to the days of Carole Lombard, Lucille Ball and Rosiland Russell.

Being New Yorkers, they all remember Elisabeth from the five years she was on Law and Order.

Interestingly, everyone I've met is quite familiar with the Friars Club, but no one has heard of its maiden Friars Club Comedy Film Festival that starts tonight, so this should help get the word out - at least a little.

ALL TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED ONLINE NOW FROM THE WEBSITE.

Speaking of tonight, I'm looking forward to seeing the Coen Brothers' new film and meeting them in person - there's a private reception for them starting at 6pm, followed by the screening of A SERIOUS MAN, then another more open reception for them and the film afterward.

Tomorrow there's a special luncheon for comedy filmmakers; Saturday afternoon a luncheon for screenwriters and Saturday night a party for feature film makers (as opposed to the shorts folks who have their own party tomorrow night). Ah, the perks of being a writer-director-producer. I get to go to all the lunches, dinners and receptions. I love networking!

Sunday night there's a closing party and awards ceremony, which should be interesting since they've not let us know of the type of awards that will be presented. So we don't know if we're up for any of them, or if they're pre-judged, or if we just get a gold star for being selected in this historic maiden festival.

New Poster!

Here's the new poster for THE WHOLE TRUTH - it includes the laurels for both the Seattle International Film Festival as well as the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival - at which we'll be featured this coming Saturday at 3pm in the Paley Center for Media in NYC.

Click on it to get the full blast!

I'll be handing out placards with information to folks in New York City about the film and its screening on one side and the poster photo on the other - joined by John Fugelsang and possibly 2nd assistant director Jessica Hong!

We'll have 2,000 to pass out in several strategic places to advertise the screening and the film itself. With any luck, we'll be meeting with some key distributors as well.

I got my flight information today from the Friars - leaving tomorrow - Wednesday; returning from all the festivities and screening Monday.

It's going to be so much fun - hanging out with Fugelsang for two full days! Plus the luncheons and receptions and other appreciative activities they've planned for the filmmakers. The Friars Club is doing it right - but that's the reason they're establishing this film festival - they believe great comedies have been overlooked and dissed far too long by major awards selections.

Rabid raccoons

Sure, they look friendly and sweet despite their robber mask.

But raccoons are wild animals. And they become vicious when they gain a sense of entitlement or are ravenously hungry - or if they are infected with rabies, and raccoons are known carriers of the disease.

When people feed them, they gain that sense of entitlement.

Worse, they lose their fear of people. So they start to believe that people, as a genus, should feed them. Then when we don't feed them, they become angry and, having lost their fear of people, they attack us.

They also attack, kill and devour small animals - domesticated cats and little dogs along with squirrels and other wildlife.

The even worse part of feeding these wild animals rather than have them work for their food - they multiply in much greater numbers than they would otherwise. Soon that cute little raccoon the kids used to see when they walked to their school bus stop suddenly turns into a family of six, the elders developing a girth so massive they can only lumber along.

Along with the size, however, comes strength. Having to hoist themselves up in trees and other climbing behaviors to amble through our neighborhoods creates a lot of raccoon muscle we'd rather they did not have because it only makes them more dangerous around us, our children and pets.

If you are scratched or bitten by a raccoon, you must undergo an extraordinarily painful series of rabies shots - injected in the abdomen daily for its course of several days.

Ask the Seattle family whose dog was attacked along with one of its adult owners.

Vancouver, BC, is also suffering from raccoon attacks - including finding a rabid raccoon in one of its popular public parks.

A raccoon attacked a Tacoma, Washington dog inside the house by entering through the pup's doggie door.

There's no need to run screaming if you see a raccoon, and I don't want to be part of an anti-raccoon sentiment.

It boils down to this. We're dealing with a wild animal. One that is losing habitat and then multiplying quickly because of easy access to food.

This wild animal can actually be domesticated - and has been by several people, but we have to wonder why someone would want to train an animal still capable of living a natural wild life to be a pet. For the most part, cats and dogs have been so domesticated they're incapable of living on their own. And when they do - feral dogs and cats have very short life spans and are dangerous to people and other domesticated animals (including horses).

Raccoons still have the ability to make it on their own - as long as we don't feed them and make them believe they can be reliant on people for food (and therefore survival).

They are omnivores, so they eat just about anything. They love habitats that are dark and cave-like. Attics are frequently homes to intruding raccoons.

My personal experience educated me about letting wild animals - like raccoons - be wild in a very painful way.

I was caring for a farm in exchange for room and board while the family who owned the farm were gone for nearly four months while I wrote my book MIND OVER MEDIA.

There were cows and chickens and lots of vegetable and fruit plants and trees that needed care along with the normal chores of keeping fences repaired, taking care of the family cat as well as my own, Kitzel

I raised 25 chicks literally from being hatched to egg-laying age, which isn't all that long. One of them "Big Red" became a pet. Chickens make really wonderful pets. They love to be petted and can be very social. Red would follow Kitzel and I around as I did the morning chores.

A little latch closed the chicken coop when they were back in the coop for the evening. Fenced in, they got to roam around during the day as they wished outside, then I would close the door at night.

One night I was awakened with a cacophony of chickens screaming, so I ran to see what was going on.

A raccoon had, with its little fingers we anthropomorphize are so cute because they resemble our own, pulled the latch open and, within minutes, killed 13 of the young chickens. Including Big Red. I saw it running away carrying some of its prey.

I was devastated. I cleaned up the coop and made a much stronger latch to protect the chickens.

I called the local police to see if someone could trap the raccoon, who I was certain would return.

The voice at the other end found it difficult to speak, he was laughing so hard. This was farm country. You don't trap predators, you shoot them.

Believe it or not, a neighbor lent me his .22 rifle to take care of Mr. Raccoon. I hoped I could just fire a couple of warning shots and he'd get the message. Well, night after night I'd wait for MR to return. Nothing.

So I moved inside the chicken coop, leaving the door unlatched, waiting to shoot at him when I saw his face. Still nothing.

Then one afternoon, as I was writing, I heard familiar chicken consternation, grabbed the rifle and dashed out the door.

There he was. Dauntlessly marching toward the coop, where the chickens had run inside.

I yelled at the raccoon. Because he had lost all fear of people - someone down the road had been feeding raccoons huge bags of dog food - he continued to walk toward the coop.

I picked up rocks and threw them at him, even smacking him with one or two, but they had no effect. He kept ambling toward his prey.

I did NOT want to kill an animal. I love animals. I have cared for so many of them.

I fired the rifle at him, barely missing him (I'm a very good shot) - to no avail.

I realized what I had to do.

I shot the raccoon.

He was finally stopped.

My knees shook so badly I thought I was going to fall over; it took me awhile to catch my breath.
But I knew I did the right thing to protect the surviving chickens. And the cats, come to think of it.

Anyway.

Point made.

Don't feed raccoons. Don't leave pet food out for varmints. If you're inside a city, chances are you're legally supposed to report them so they can be captured by animal control or a borrowed cage. In some places, animal control is so underfunded you can't wait to have them come out to trap them, you have to use your own wiles to either trap or protect your home and family - pets, kids and other humans - from the intruders in whatever way you can.

New turns in life

This past week I seemed to have turned a couple corners that are going to influence the next several chapters in my life's book, and they are more exciting than I could have hoped.

An international distributor called; his company enthusiastically loves THE WHOLE TRUTH. He was effusive in his praise of Elisabeth Röhm's performance ("She was hy-sterical!").

He's now checking with his company's owners to put an offer together. We may or may not accept the proposal his company presents us, but I tell you, his unbridled excitement about our film was incredibly touching and inspiring.

He said his company just closed a deal picking up another comedy - one with a who's who of American comedy cast - about which he was very pleased.

He loves the contrast between that totally commercial comedy and ours, which is a whole lotta fun, but admittedly different from anything out there.

L-R Elisabeth Röhm, Pisay Pao, Sean Patrick Flanery

Here's what Uwe Lützen, a former marketer of English language films in Europe, had to say after seeing the film:

"It's an uncommon comedy. I had a lot of fun. I was thrilled to see a U.S comedy so extreme (well you’re the country that invented political correctness, right ;-), really edgy… and I can see why people can love or hate it. it’s just not what you can expect nowadays from a common comedy – or a festival film… it’s bolder and riskier."

I'm off to New York City and the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival next Wednesday, where there will be numerous special activities (dinners, entertainment programs, parties) in the Big Apple throughout the four days for those of us who have films in the fest, all of which I'm looking forward to, and will be making reports about each right here. If it won't be too awkward, I'm taking my camera (it's big) to record these snippets of history.

L-R: Elisabeth Röhm, Danielle Barnum.

Thankfully, I have help making it all happen the way it "should," that is, in a way for which I've done all my homework and am properly prepared. I'm familiarizing myself with the other filmmakers and films as well as getting help (big time!) for my wardrobe and make-up. That's the cool part of being an indie writer/director. We don't have to be haute couture and everyone expects us to be poor.

Meanwhile, I've met someone whose filmmaking insights, work ethic, professionalism, knowledge, thoughtfulness and artistic acumen are a perfect match for mine. Wow. Taking it one step at a time, this could be the beginning of a superb, ground-breaking, exciting, phenomenal and perhaps even more importantly, totally fun creative relationship.

Before I leave, in addition to taking care of my writing and producing tasks, I'm attending the Wynonna (Judd) concert, visiting the Western Washington State Fair, taking care of rescued horses, working with vocal coach Nedra Gaskill (rehearsing for the Christmas recital) and taking care of any other surprises that come my way.

It's all about balance, isn't it?

Wanna be happier? More fulfilled?

Ever heard of TED?

It's a brilliant website rife with presentations by people, some well-known, some experts in their field, others scientists, inventors and thinkers who share ideas worth spreading. "Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world."

The talks are supposed to last 18 minutes; most run a couple minutes longer, and I've found almost all worth watching, or listening to, while I'm multi-tasking. Sometimes I have to stop and single task, watching the speaker for his or her entire presentation.

In his positive psychology talk, Dr. Martin Seligman illuminates the study of psychology moving from studying mental illnesses - a disease paradigm - to the change studying ways to help "normal" people enjoy life more, mostly through creating positive emotions.

Turns out feeling happiness is not reliant on seeking pleasure, as most would imagine. A hit of pleasure is temporary, momentary. Continue to seek more pleasure-inducing experiences and you still won't be truly happy; you won't feel great without needing any other input to make you feel pleasure. The "feed me" pleasure valve doesn't turn off once you think that actually would make you happy.

If you know people who are constantly desperate for money or believe constant hits of joyful experiences will bring happiness, studies say nope, won't happen, now matter how firmly and sternly they attempt to feed their souls with them. In some cases, they may look like they're having a pleasant-to-good life, it still does not last.

The pursuit of pleasure - anything that is experienced as a consumer of pleasure - will not bring about the sensation of ongoing satisfaction with life.

An emptiness may still echo within.

What psychological studies have found is that what really brings about an enduring, enhanced satisfied feeling of a life well lived, happiness, is finding meaning in our lives. Pursuing a quest or task that helps others - dedicating at least part of your life to the welfare or betterment of others, a cause that feels larger than you.

It doesn't have to mean sacrificing your entire life to help others, but to find what makes you happy when you share, give, or build. The sense of selflessness makes a real difference in the quality of our daily lives, and we can set up our days to include this behavior in some way.

It means thinking of others and their welfare, their well-being, their comfort or happiness, brings us as much if not more enduring happiness than we are creating for others.

Dr. Seligman's talk is full of a more viewer-friendly academic information and knowledge to help you decide where you want to be on the Life Feels Good-0-Meter, with suggestions to support that quest, but these are just a few of its highlights that I thought you might enjoy reading.

I shared Dr. Seligman's thoughts with a couple friends who went with me to a baseball game last night and they found it interesting enough that I thought you might find it interesting and insightful.

What's working in your life? What's not?

With all that's going on regarding not just our upcoming appearance at the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival for THE WHOLE TRUTH, but our next film THE LONELY GOATHERD ("All Harry Lochman ever wanted was a wife and kids. He got half his wish."), future projects, personal and professional transitions and of course something called "a life," I had to take inventory to be sure I won't be overwhelmed by it all.

After speaking about this with my best friend, I decided you may like to know my process in case it might help you.

The first thing I do is write down everything that's working in my life. I don't mean things that I want to work, or that are almost or nearly working or that will be working soon, but only those things that are clicking like a well oiled metronome.

I don't just mean the "big" items, but things we can take for granted, like healthy pets, a car - paid for - that works perfectly, a car that doesn't show up on any list of cars most (or even least) likely to be stolen, the Internet, breathing easily, Mad Men, my cell phone, high energy, hands that are pain-free and write effortlessly, my favorite masseuse Crystal, and so on.

Fortunately, that list is long, and I'm extremely grateful for that.

The next thing I do is write what is NOT working in my life - from my perspective.

Like my new eating/exercise plan, which needs much more attention; deciding specifically which script I should write for our third project and get cracking on it; finishing the housework properly so I'm free to write without the pressure of feeling I MUST take care of it before I can concentrate fully, and there are also a couple more personal/professional items.

After reviewing both columns carefully, thoughtfully and extensively - adding or subtracting as the case may be, I focus on the "not working" side and ascertain how I can put each of those things into the "working" column.

I take responsibility for what is not working; I can't blame other people for what is not working in my life. It's my life, not anyone else's. What doesn't work for me may work just fine for someone else.

What part of this not working business is mine? I ask myself what is it I have to do in order to resolve the issue, putting everything back on track so it can remain that way?

Should I apply a little more elbow grease? Dedicate more time and/or energy to something or someone? Jennifer Aniston says the death of any relationship is caused by laziness - and subsequent neglect of the other person. Do I need to make a phone call? Complete a task I've been postponing?

Or do I have to accept that something simply isn't working - that it's an action or issue over which I have absolutely no power and need to let go?

Even realizing there's nothing I can do (that I haven't already done) is taking action, and I think that's the most important part of this process. Knowing that I've taken as much action as I can to help things work as well as they can; knowing I've not neglected it or let anything fall to the wayside because I've not paid proper attention.

Buddhist tradition says as long as we act with clear intention, thoughtfully, we're good to go.

That is how I like to live; with clear intention and thoughtfully. Doing what I say, saying what I'll do.

It's pretty simple to me, but I'm always amazed at how many people don't seem to understand the concept - or even want to.

Here's hoping everything in your life falls into the "working!" category!

TWT Friars Club Comedy Film Festival schedule

L-R: Kristina Lilley, Pisay Pao, Sean Patrick Flanery, Elisabeth Röhm.

We just received notice that THE WHOLE TRUTH will play Saturday, September 26, 3 p.m. at the Paley Center for Media (25 W 52nd St.) for the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival.
It's a short festival, only four days (Thursday, Sept. 24-Sunday Sept. 27), with films playing in just three venues, so we appear to be in carefully selected company.

The full schedule of films playing have not yet been posted, but the opening night film is the premiere of A SERIOUS MAN, the Coen Brothers' new comedy.

I'll be there all four days, attending as many screenings as possible, networking and hanging out with John Fugelsang ("Prosecutor Jordan Smith" in TWT; he's also a TV and radio personality, actor, stand up comic and writer), other filmmakers, actors, performers, distributors, celebrities who show up and comedy writers. The Friars Club Comedy Film Festival advisory board is a who's who of comedy and TV personalities - they should be dropping by!

This is a photo of John and one of his New York City fans.

The Friars Club has been America's comedy central for more than 100 years - most people know it from their famous "roast" dinners of celebrities.

They are establishing this film festival because they believe too many great comedies are overlooked when it comes to major awards selection. Very kewl for us.

Most importantly, the Friars prevent mirth control, protecting our right of laughter.

The freedom to laugh at ourselves, the privileged and those in power is the canary in the coal mine of democracy - a freedom Friars Club members take very seriously.

They want us to feel free to sing those canary songs and create works that make us fall over giggling, guffawing, howling, roaring, chuckling, cracking up, chortling, rolling in the aisles, snickering and snorting liquid through our nose!

Niles Crane has the last laugh

Remember when we all thought Frasier Crane's brother Niles' worry after every potential germ in his midst seemed so so ridiculous?






















How we laughed every time the character, brought to life by the brilliant actor David Hyde Pierce, took out his hanky and wiped a chair before before sitting on it?

How he used the same hanky to protect his skin from anything that may have come in contact with another human being?

How fastidious he was about refusing to touch objects that were in the public domain? Anything he assumed was sullied by another person's touch or animal fur?

Ha. Ha.

Watching reruns of Frasier, I realize today Niles' actions would not be considered all *that* crazy in light of all we're doing to be germ-free and non-contagious. I'm sure he and Daphne went on to live long and healthy lives with however many children they had because of his hygiene.

With the advent of Swine and other types of dire flu warnings, gel germ killer containers are everywhere: grocery, clothing and department stores, rest rooms and more, since the best way to prevent catching any of them is washing or de-germing our hands. Or both.

We're not seen as "round the twist" if we use rubber or latex gloves to protect ourselves from bacteria, viruses, fungi or protozoa that can cause our vulnerable bodily vessels to become diseased, especially to read books from the library - which can be havens for germs! From the looks I receive as my gloves and I peruse the bookshelves, I realize, as always, I'm a little ahead of the hygienic cultural curve; but trust me, wearing gloves at the library will catch on soon.

Some people even wear face masks to guard against airborne illnesses. Remember when Michael Jackson- Aha, there's a lesson in there, isn't it? We can't go to one extreme to put up walls barring infectious invasions while ignoring cardiovascular health, even under the care of a doc-
Never mind.

Even the once comically fastidious Mr. Monk (Tony Shalhoub) begins to look normal, his program seen as a docu-drama these days rather than a comedy.

Get your flu shot.

I can't because I'm allergic.

But I bathe in Purell at every turn, especially when someone glances in my direction. Never can tell if they're exhaling when they face me. I use the type that's kind to your skin; the other stuff is too drying.

Be well.

A blast from the past

Writing recently about my touching gift from John Michael Hayes (screenwriter of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, To Catch A Thief, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Trouble With Harry, many more), I remembered two articles I wrote about Alfred Hitchcock's system of creating films a couple years ago when I was a screenwriting columnist for ScreenTalk international screenwriting magazine (headquartered in Denmark).

They're based on a lecture he gave in 1939; we can't find the original published articles, so here are the columns in pdf format as they were originally submitted to the editor without photos and terrific layout for which editor Eric Lilleør is so famous.

ScreenTalk went on to become movieScope international filmmaking magazine, for which I was the camera acting columnist until I became a full time filmmaker last year. If you'd like to read other columns I wrote for ScreenTalk, go to my "writer" page to read them as they appeared in the magazine.

At any rate, the columns analyze how Hitchcock assembled his films successfully early on with his wife and lifelong collaborator Alma. Later he would abandon these steps to create much less than successful projects; I'm not sure why but biographers indicate he abused alcohol and developed other personality problems that would interfere with his art.

Here they are:

The Enduring Insights of Alfred Hitchcock Part I

The Enduring Insights of Alfred Hitchcock Part II

The Friars Club loves THE WHOLE TRUTH!!

The Friars Club in New York City has been the pinnacle of comedy some 100 years; they believe that great comedy films have been overlooked far too long for major awards consideration, so they're out to change that.

With the world premiere of the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival.

I was called this morning and we are officially in it! You have no idea what a feather in our cap this is for THE WHOLE TRUTH - these folks *know* comedy!

They positively loved the film - the version they saw was the first cut (the Seattle International Film Festival version) so they'll love the current, second cut even more! They listed a number of details they particularly liked and appreciated about the film, which meant a lot to me.

It was especially terrific that they called to tell me - so often festivals just email filmmakers.

The film opening the festival premieres the new Coen Brothers comedy, A SERIOUS MAN.

More information as it becomes available, but the festival takes place Thursday, September 24-Sunday September 27, which gives us little time to prepare, get our new posters made up including the FCCFF laurels to take with us, and figure out what to wear.

Oh-and right after I hung up with the Friars Club reps, a distributor called me! He was happy to hear about our selection for the Friars Club Festival - and I told him about our next film THE LONELY GOATHERD, whose tag line he found very promising: "All Harry Lochman ever wanted was a wife and kids. He got half his wish."

September 8, 2009, has turned out to be memorable!

Canadian Television - CBC - does it again

For being a nation with the reputation for being so nice - and politically a little passive - its national television network, the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) has the courage to dramatically tackle hard-hitting, significant and urgent subjects US networks would never go near.

While premium US cable channels do take on some challenging issues, they still pale in comparison to what Canada bravely exposes its viewers.

Just a few examples are The Boys from St. Vincent - a tough, controversial drama about pedophilia in the Catholic church. That was in 1992. Of course there was a tumultuous response from many in the church, but the accuracy and lack of melodrama in the miniseries won out and audiences were confronted with a grievous part of our history.

Not just by the offending priests, but others who stood by and watched the treacherous abuse of young boys, those who covered up the nauseating treatment of innocent boys in the care of a Catholic orphanage without no accountability or punishment for their crimes.

I've always maintained that we can't heal a wound until we uncover it to diagnose it properly in order to figure out how to cure it. It's the proper role of journalism to shine the light of day on these issues, but in many cases that role is assumed by filmmakers more and more.

Perhaps that should be more and Moore. ;-)

Another example: The Last Chapter. This 2002 CBC mini-series involved biker gangs connected to organized crime, with some pretty horrific details of how the drug and other criminal activities have been linked to those biker gangs presented in this series.

It showed how these thugs are connected with upscale, "upstanding" citizens; how the organized criminal higher-ups have no qualms about threatening or harming families of politicians and law enforcement officers trying to shut them down.

It's a harsh reality around the world - only last weekend a Mexican politician who opposes the drug cartel was killed - with his wife and children - all shot to death.

Iron Road. This 2009 Canada-China co-production tells the story of Chinese immigrants - willing and unwilling - who built the railroad tracks across the nation. How these workers were treated, mistreated, killed and exploited in the name of building a railroad, modernization and economic progress.

In some cases incredible abuse of the workers was caused from racial ignorance, in other cases because of greed (Chinese workers were explosives experts and short fuses were used for the dynamite because longer fuses were more expensive, constantly putting the men blasting through mountains and terrain in jeopardy), and Chinese workers were considered "less than" their white bosses.

Most recently, CBC-TV tackled an issue about which American television would for sure find their hands tied: GUNS. How gun trafficking works, how violence grows because of the increasingly easy availability of non-sporting guns in North America, the economics of gun running, how innocent people are constantly hurt or killed as collateral damage, and, again, the ties of powerful people not necessarily seen as being connected with those activities playing a role in keeping the guns moving.

Most interestingly, this miniseries sees the issue of the inflow of non-sporting guns as a growing significant issue in a nation where gun violence is only about 12% of that per 100,000 people compared to American gun violence statistics.

I think dramatically The Boys of St. Vincent is the extraordinary standout for writing and filmmaking, but each of these programs has more guts in their presentation because they strive to get it right. As shocking as much of the information and scenes have been, there is always the sense that there are good people working to make the world a little better, a little safer, for the rest of us not directly involved in these nightmares - and that they remain in danger as long as they are fighting people who have no respect for humankind, whose goal is only to make money off the blood and destroyed lives of others.

Interestingly, the one thing that has been a real glimmer of hope is that the kids of the gangsters and criminals who have made their millions and billions from the pain of others - directly and indirectly - tend not to want to follow in the fouled footsteps of their parents, even though their parents have drawn them into their businesses to some degree.

We are left with the impression the kids want to get away from these scummy situations and live their own lives with integrity and clear consciences.

There's a lot to be said for the generation gap in these situations.

And there's a lot to be said for the courage of CBC-TV, taking the heat for controversial programming that enlightens, informs and tells important stories we need to hear.

Meeting like-speaking folks ...

Well, sort of.

I went to a meet-up of French speakers (about 20) at a Seattle coffee shop today, and had a really wonderful time.

It's been *years* since I spoke French, when I spent five weeks apartment sitting for a Seattle couple who lived in the 11th arrondissement (section) of Paris, where few people speak English and everything is done the French way. Initially it was a culture shock - but I quickly acclimated.

The trip was one of the highlights of my life; I actually miss several of the places I visited even in that short period of time, and it was definitely special experiencing it alone. Next time I go? It's going to be a romantic adventure!

The couple wanted someone from their home town to take care of their domicile while they were visiting their parents in Seattle during the annual national French vacation (I repeat - 5 weeks).

Every morning I would fill my backpack with food and water and strike out in a new direction in the City. I'd walk for miles (I lost 10 pounds, even eating the divinely rich French food), take bus trips, take train rides and special tours to areas around France to round out my experience.

There are few historical landmarks, art museums, public exhibitions devoted to writers, artists and famed French folks, tourist destinations like the Moulin Rouge and palaces I did not see, as well as performances at La Comedie Francaise (Molier's theater) and other cultural sensations.

I was fortunate to find restaurants that were not tourist havens - where the food was delicious and very reasonably priced. Tourist spots are exorbitantly expensive (a friend from Seattle visited, we stopped at a cafe in the tourist section - my hot dog and soda cost $16, and that was several years ago!).

Anyway, the day I arrived at the apartment, I said something to the taxi driver in (my version of) French. He turned to me and asked, "What part of America are you from?" In perfect English of course.

When I left five weeks later, there were no such incidents. Only polite (yes, polite!) responses and smiles. (OK, maybe smiles is a stretch, but you get the idea.)

Back to today's meet-up.

Some 20 people showed up, slowly filling up an area of the coffee shop from the single table that started with just two of us chatting.

I felt a little flummoxed in the beginning since it had been so long since I spoke French I was a little tongue-tied. I tend to understand far more than I can easily speak (I listen to French music, watch French film and TV5 - the French cable network), which is why I joined this drop-in group.

The fluency rate was extensive, from folks who could barely parlez to those whose primary or secondary language is French. All were welcoming and the fluent among us were extremely patient with the rest of us who battled to remember tenses, grammaire and des bons mots.

Likewise, the vocations and interests of those attending was vast.

Since the part of the coffee shop we met at was outside today, it was harder to hear people speaking, but I settled in with a lovely little group, becoming more comfortable and fluent as the two hours pushed on - though I have a way to go to get back into the groove!

Which means that I'll be practicing intensely for our next session in two weeks!

OK, it may be a little early for you ... but!

I've started working on songs with my singing coach Nedra Gaskill that I'll perform for a local Christmas concert!

The tunes I've selected that I'll be singing for sure:

"Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" - a rock classic. I'll have four back-up singers; I'm choreographing their/our routine. I'll be singing this number in a belt-your-guts-out "chest" pop/rock voice.

And "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" - an inspirational piece from The Sound of Music for which I'll be using my dramatic soprano voice.

I figure they'll appreciate the extreme vocal range emitted from this unassuming voice, covering more than three octaves.

If there's the opportunity for me to sing three selections, I'll sing either Celine Dion's upbeat pop "Christmas Eve" or the very bluesy "Please Come Home for Christmas," which has been covered by numerous soloists and bands.

Every part of my life always seems to run smoothly when I work with Nedra.

Maybe it's because I love singing so much - it makes me feel as close to a connection with angels as I can get - or because she's such a good coach that it feels so wonderful to have someone support and believe in me to the extent she does for doing something that is pure joy to me.

As much work, energy and discipline as vocalists must invest in perfecting their craft ("perfecting" any craft is impossible, btw), it is a wonderful sensation to just get out there and "play the instrument."

No matter how sad, serious or serene the song, it's always fun for me to blow the pipes for an appreciative audience.

Even when the audience consists of my pups and kitty, assistants, or frankly anyone who hangs out with me.

I love visiting sick friends in the hospital because they are such attentive audiences. I've actually whipped my harmonica out, too, for a little accompaniment.

And! Have I ever told you I also learned to play the saw?

*Amazing* how quickly they recover! Why, even the thought of me visiting with the harmonica and/or saw and/or - whatever portable instrument I bring - seems to help them literally spring out of their sickbeds.

Must be a spiritual thing...

;-)