Raw and unedited thoughts straight from "The Man" himself. From whatevers on his mind to whatevers in the news - if it's worth talking about, you'll find it right here.
It’s been 6 years since I boarded a plane at JFK in New York and made my way West to Los Angeles in May of 2002. Hollywood had been calling me for years, this time I finally accepted their offer. In the last six years my career has evolved from a seasoned journalist (Rolling Stone, Spin, Associated Press, and Playboy) to one of Hollywood’s elite “script doctors.” Working as a filmmaker for the last three years has been a dream come true for me. Being a wealthy celebrity is a pretty good life, but it isn’t easy. Not everyone has the guts, drive and skill-set that is needed to make it in this industry. Fortunately, I have what it takes – a special set of rules and disciplines that I developed after years of training with U.S. Marines and the NYPD where I served as a narcotics detective. But I’ve had my share of battles along the way…
I've been on a much deserved vacation for the last month while the writer's strike is still going on. Hopefully we'll have a new deal in place soon with the AMPTP - The DGA settled last week, so we'll work off that template. In the meantime, based on emails we've received, here are some popular sections of this website that fans want to see:
I’ve been getting some flack from people regarding my association with the New York Police Department – including some angry emails from guys “on the job.” Let me clarify for you the facts. I was not an “official” member of the NYPD – However, I did work closely with them as an undercover “operative” dealing in the trafficking of large amount of cocaine in the areas of Manhattan, Queens and Long Island. I am very proud of the work I did with those guys – and think that my cooperation helped get a lot of bad people off the streets.
"Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.” Trust me, that is not a quote from Brett Meisner. It is, however, a quote from Anne Frank directly from her diary - a diary, which was given to Frank on her thirteenth birthday, and chronicles her life from June 12, 1942 until August 1, 1944 – a time when she and her family hid from the Nazis. She eventually was captured and sent to a concentration camp where she died months later. Yet her voice would live on forever.
Many of you having been asking for some footage of me at the Writer’s Guild Strike rally in Hollywood last week. I was able to get the guys in the crew who are filming a documentary about me to throw together some snippets of me interacting with some fans and fellow writers. I am posting this video clip as a “tribute” video to “Quiet Riot” singer Kevin Dubrow who passed away on Sunday at age 52. Rest in Peace, Kevin.
It’s been over 3 weeks since my union went on strike. I have been walking the picket lines each day outside the very studios that in the past have paid me hundreds of thousands of dollars for my services. It’s going to be a long strike I can tell as the suits have enough scripts and re-runs to keep them busy for a while. If there’s one thing I don’t like about the strike, it’s the fact that our picket lines stop at 6:00pm sharp. Imagine you’re walking in front of Sony studios chanting “Here we are at your gate, Spiderman 4 will have to wait!” and then suddenly everyone packs up their signs and splits? “Hell no we won’t go! – wait, six-o’clock? Dinner time! – see ya!” Is that really going to be effective? I don’t think so – that’s why I and a few other screenwriters have taken things into “our own hands”…
As many of you may already know, my union, the Writers Guild of America, west, went on strike as of 12:01 Monday November 5th. Many of us tried our best to avoid the strike but have been forced to by the AMPTP and their failure to offer a fair contract for the percentage that writers receive on DVD sales and new media downloads and streams. If we don't fight now to define the payment terms for how our works are distributed on the Internet we will be in the same boat as those writers in the late 70s and early 80s who failed to see the oncoming cable TV and VHS tape markets. So I guess the only way to send them a message is for us to stop working - no more latenight shows, no new scripts for TV or film (although most studios have enough material to film thru the end of the year.)
As a former New Yorker who spent over a decade living in Manhattan, I can tell you firsthand that the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 are something that will forever be burned into my memory like stone. Two jumbo jets each packed with over 10,000 gallons of highly flammable and extremely powerful jet fuel were flown into the World Trade Center towers by cowardice terrorists from the middle-east.
My friend and fellow writer, author and critic Roger Ebert will be honored at the 17th annual Gotham Awards for a career of championing independent cinema. Ebert will receive the honor at the Nov. 27th event at Brooklyn's Steiner Studios. For those of you who don’t know who Roger Ebert is or what he does for a living, you can check out this brief but detailed article on this site:
As a fellow writer, author, critic and working Hollywood screenwriter I can tell you how hard it is for guys like Roger and me to do what it is we do day after day. Staring at a blank piece of paper and making “magic appear” is a gift from God that only a few of us are graced with.
Many of you having been asking for some footage of me at the Writer’s Guild Strike rally in Hollywood last week. I was able to get the guys in the crew who are filming a documentary about me to throw together some snippets of me interacting with some fans and fellow writers. I am posting this video clip as a “tribute” video to “Quiet Riot” singer Kevin Dubrow who passed away on Sunday at age 52. Rest in Peace, Kevin.
It’s been over 3 weeks since my union went on strike. I have been walking the picket lines each day outside the very studios that in the past have paid me hundreds of thousands of dollars for my services. It’s going to be a long strike I can tell as the suits have enough scripts and re-runs to keep them busy for a while. If there’s one thing I don’t like about the strike, it’s the fact that our picket lines stop at 6:00pm sharp. Imagine you’re walking in front of Sony studios chanting “Here we are at your gate, Spiderman 4 will have to wait!” and then suddenly everyone packs up their signs and splits? “Hell no we won’t go! – wait, six-o’clock? Dinner time! – see ya!” Is that really going to be effective? I don’t think so – that’s why I and a few other screenwriters have taken things into “our own hands”…
As many of you may already know, my union, the Writers Guild of America, west, went on strike as of 12:01 Monday November 5th. Many of us tried our best to avoid the strike but have been forced to by the AMPTP and their failure to offer a fair contract for the percentage that writers receive on DVD sales and new media downloads and streams. If we don't fight now to define the payment terms for how our works are distributed on the Internet we will be in the same boat as those writers in the late 70s and early 80s who failed to see the oncoming cable TV and VHS tape markets. So I guess the only way to send them a message is for us to stop working - no more latenight shows, no new scripts for TV or film (although most studios have enough material to film thru the end of the year.)
