Roundup.

I hate to just post to be posting [what am I saying? I love that], but there's a few updates and such to talk about, both to The Mojo Wire and just in general, so I suppose I should cover that.

First of all, my friend/artist Justin [Re: Calamity Cash and the Town with No Name -- also, he's laid up with back problems right now, so everyone should go and wish him better health... it's not medicine, but it can't hurt, either. Worried about him] alerted me recently that Blogspot's "blogs I'm following" feature lets you put in other blogs from places like Wordpress and the like. I still want to try it out with a few other sites -- particularly the less-than-cooperative Livejournal, but I'm pretty jazzed about it -- especially since it's become 100% easier to follow Shiso Style, my friend Heke's blog. I met Heke during college, and now she's off in Japan, teaching English, which makes her perfect for catching on Google Talk every night while she's in the middle of classes, and I'm cursing the fact I can't sleep. Her blog talks a lot about her experiences in Japan though, and I really like it, even though my absent-mindedness tends to make me forget to check it. Thanks to Blogspot, never again.

Heke's also the person who took the "Coffee" picture that's my new profile/account picture. I still haven't gotten around to getting some legit photos of myself for this [at least nothing I liked], so Japanese Kitsch and Pink Luchadores with Roosters are what I'm using instead. Heke, if you're reading this, and you'd rather I not use your picture, just let me know. I just couldn't help myself.

Since I'm linking things like mad, here's today's Bathroom Monologue by my buddy John. I love this one, was a great way to start my day, and I told him so.

To business. Talked to Kyle pretty extensively about the script [Re: The Trendsetter], and it looks like this is really going to happen. I mean, obviously, there are a lot of things that could get in the way, there's still the whole problem of being thirty pages shy of a feature, and needing things like funding, mostly to bribe someone who works at a Best Buy [I'll explain some other time], and also pay/feed actors and such. But Kyle has already penciled in a possible crew, and there are going to be contracts, and filming schedules, and other projects to follow, and I've already gotten an order to do up bios of main characters, so some semi-casting can take place. Admittedly, part of it doesn't seem to real, and really committing to this means another meager year in my eight-by-ten room at Grandma's, but...

This feels right. Like something on the verge of greatness. Or at least the chance at it. And failure just means I pick myself up, move to Portland or Seattle, and think about Grad School. All these things I've left behind.

So, there's that. And Kyle's first notes have already set me off on a list of things to add/fix about the current version of The Trendsetter.

For reference:

1. A party-like scene with Brandon's [the protagonist's] family, particularly drawing into contrast his problems with his family. Because of this, I also have to...

2. Create Brandon's little sister. One of those parts that could blow everything else right out of the water... sadly, I have no idea how to write an age 16-18 year old girl, and not a lot of ways to study them without seeming even creepier. On the up side, though creepier-still, Kyle tells me he'll have no problem finding an 18 year old who could pass for 16, which is bound to be helpful, whether the movie is made or not. This will be one of the bigger challenge of the new draft, since I already have a pretty good idea of his parents.

3. More with Tess. The problem with having a movie about an ex-girlfriend is really establishing why her being an "ex" is so significant. Plus, there's so many rich characters in this thing already, I'm worried about belittling her impact on Brandon. One scene will be needed at least, and while I have an idea, I'm just not sure yet...

4. Fix the pacing. Not that the pacing's bad, but right now, the script takes place over two days, and to fit in another visit with Tess, and the big family party scene, this will have to take place over a slightly larger time-line. I dread this worst of all, because there's not much creative to this aspect of it -- it's just changing this here, and that there, so it opens to a longer timeline. The slightest typo will make the script seem like an idiot wrote it, though, so it's delicate, annoying work.

And those are the biggies. There are probably more I haven't thought about, and Kyle keeps telling me to stay chill and away from it for a bit longer. But I've already gotten that twinge to get back to it, especially as the general excitement for the project builds.

Furthermore, I'm looking for as many readers for the previous draft as possible, since any note or comment might help me breakthrough and finish the damn thing. I mentioned earlier about sending a note to Lex Friedman, since I'd largely based Faye off of her, and not only did I actually do it [man, I thought I was more of a coward], but she actually offered to take a look at it. It would be neat to get her involved, even if it was just to get to know her a little better -- something I never really got to do at Bennington.

When I get to that next draft, I'm going to do a "thank you" list of everyone who took a look.

Other things... spent last night and this morning pouring over my friend Casey's screenplay "Into the Great Wide Open." It's not about Tom Petty, but it is really good. Don't know what they're teaching him up at that film school of his [Re: AFI], but he's really kicking ass.

There's a little more to post about, but I promised Casey I'd call him with my notes ASAP, and I should really get to that. Especially since the house phone just freed up.

All told, the wind seems to be shifting a little. Not a lot. But a little.

More later.