July 15, 2015
I suppose I’ve had some career success. But I would know this only because every so often I am told so. Be it in the form […]
July 8, 2015
Hi. My name is Doug Richardson and I’m a bull-shitter. That said, I’m not just any kind of bull-shitter. I’m a professional bull-shitter. A bold statement? […]
May 13, 2015
Writing screenplays has often been likened to a Cervantes-esque quest in which a phalanx of word wranglers wield their laptops like lances and bravely tilt themselves […]
May 13, 2015
After years of screenwriting success, plus countless meetings, pitches, business meals, and studio drive-on passes scotch-taped to my car window, not-to-mention a mile high stack of […]
May 6, 2015
It’s said that you don’t get your picture made in Hollywood without having a star or two attached. The assumption is that there’s much less financial […]
April 29, 2015
So I was buying a car last week. As many of you well know, it can be a bit of a grind. But there’s that swell […]
April 22, 2015
“Love what you’ve done so far,” says the studio executive. “Think we’re well down the road to a really great movie.” Translation? “We owe you for […]
April 15, 2015
Jaws. You know the movie. I sure as hell do. That hot summer it opened, my parents took my sisters and I to see it at […]
April 8, 2015
It was a black tie event. Cocktails and formal wear with possibly a charity involved. I recall standing amongst some writing peers, one of whom was […]
April 1, 2015
Question. What’s your score? You know. Movie wise. How many millions have your pictures made? How many viewers have you been able to rack up with […]
March 26, 2015
It began with a computer game. Nothing like what we’re used to today. This was old school, PC stuff—a monochromatic, Peanuts-themed teaching program for kindergarten-aged children. […]
March 18, 2015
If you’re looking for a lesson this week, turn around and don’t look back. But if a laugh at my expense seems appealing, by all means […]
March 11, 2015
If you’re on the outside looking in, showbiz can look like the land of luxe—a private club populated by only the rich and beautiful, not to […]
March 4, 2015
This is about the difference between average and exceptional. What it is to be an afterthought versus someone unforgettable? In essence, I’m talking about the importance […]
February 25, 2015
It’s funny how recall works. As I was sitting through the latter third of this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, I was imagining how the Monday workweek […]
February 11, 2015
One of the benefits of being a writer is having or developing an innate ability to turn a phrase when the moment comes. Oh, and we […]
February 11, 2015
The handcuffs were snug, though not quite cutting into my wrists. And the backseat of the Redondo Beach PD cruiser smelled like funk. As I sat […]
February 4, 2015
Ego. Yeah, I’ve got one. And so do most of you if you’re reading this. Those who deign to put something down on paper with the […]
January 28, 2015
I’m going to name names today. Primarily because I can’t tell this story any other way. It loses too much if I hide behind pseudonyms. Fade […]
January 21, 2015
I’ve had some pretty harsh knocks. The New York Times once accused me of wasting two hours of the film reviewer’s time. Before I wrote Bad […]
January 14, 2015
If there ever was a post where I wanted to name names, it is this one. Only I shouldn’t because I’m repeating a story told to […]
January 7, 2015
So it’s a school day. My turn to drive. Kids are ready, pile into the jalopy, seat belts, music, and away we go. The drive is […]
November 19, 2014
There’s a comment I often hear. It’s usually in response to a story I’ve told, relating some sort of showbiz battle I’ve won, lost, or merely […]
November 5, 2014
A screenplay I penned attracted a director, a dashing fellow I’ll call Sir Ian. A tall, rugged dude enjoying some serious Hollywood upswing, Sir Ian was […]
November 5, 2014
“Get your heads down!” warned the driver. After a night of illicit research in some of the darker corners of New York City, Sir Ian the […]
October 29, 2014
The gang banger was coughing blood. His entire left side was stitched with AK-47 holes, from thigh to collar bone. “His lung is filling with blood,” […]
October 22, 2014
“Mr. Cannell would like to take you to lunch,” said the experienced-sounding assistant over the phone. “How’s tomorrow sound?” “That works,” I said, “Where would he […]
October 15, 2014
“In just three months my life is gonna change forever,” announced Hefty the Comic. Now, I call Hefty a comic because of the numerous times he […]
October 8, 2014
It happened on a recent weekend. I’d bragged to my son about my bad old days of movie geekdom. I recalled for him a time when […]
October 2, 2014
It was a pro forma meeting. A meet-our-new-writer-client kind of sit-down. My new rep had called for a gathering of the entire lit department in […]
September 24, 2014
Here’s the scene. I’m in a New York City deli with my immediate family and a passel of soon-to-depart Irish relatives. I’m eating a meal of […]
September 17, 2014
It can be a battle for oxygen. The writer is in the room. The director is in the room. And sharing the precious air is that […]
September 10, 2014
There’s an old kid’s joke that goes like this: You ask the child, “Hey. Did you hear what the pirate movie is rated?” And then when […]
September 3, 2014
Subject for your approval: Mr. Felton Farmer. This former big time TV exec-turned-producer thought himself to be a snob of sorts. Whilst he toiled in TV […]
August 13, 2014
You’ve heard the terms to describe a certain type of person. All talk, no action. All sizzle, no steak. All foam, no beer. Or one of […]
August 6, 2014
My dad used to warn me. “Beware of the three P’s,” said my old man. “What’s that?” I asked, probably eight years old at the time. […]
July 30, 2014
“You don’t get it!” shouted Sam-I’m-the-Man-I’m-the-Man, a TV producer. “I have a track record of creating big hit shows!” “You don’t have a track record,” I […]
July 24, 2014
“How well do I know Sam?” I asked the Prez of King Kong Entertainment. “Have you worked with him before?” asked the Prez. I tried to […]
July 17, 2014
It was around the time of last year’s Golden Globes when Dylan Farrow (daughter of Mia Farrow) went and stirred up some public stink around film […]
July 10, 2014
It’s harsh but true. You suck. You’re not as good as you think you are. You lack talent, craft, and most importantly, good sense. Otherwise you’d […]
June 26, 2014
It’s no secret the entertainment biz is rife with personalities. Big ones. Fast-talking. Recalcitrant. And quite a significant number that could best be described as having […]
June 18, 2014
I sat on the set in my designated director’s chair. Not directing, I might add. That’s just what they call those foldable high chairs with canvas […]
June 11, 2014
Are you off the schneid yet? Even better, do you even have a clue what the schneid is? It’s a sports riff often used to describe […]
June 4, 2014
After two directors, umpteenth screenplay drafts, financing snafus, and a location-crushing case of Montezuma’s Revenge, the studio had at last found both a director with staying […]
May 28, 2014
I’ve just moved. After twenty years in Casa de Die Hard, the War Department and I decided the time was ripe to shuffle the deck, setting […]
May 7, 2014
Like so many things, this saga began with a phone call. This one came from a character actor pal. We’d worked on a couple of films […]
May 1, 2014
“A year and a half?” I gasped again. “There’s a queue,” explained Sheena, Queen of the Lost Residuals Jungle. “Qualified and pre-approved arbiters are in high […]
April 23, 2014
An old pal—let’s call him Hal—once told me the story of his first cool Hollywood car. It was over margaritas, chips, and a big bowl of […]