Tuesday Tips

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author, character, creating characters, fiction, Film, Novels, screenwriting, Television, TV writing, Writing, writing for teens, writing tips, YA fiction

You want to be a writer? Okay then, you need to write. It’s literally that simple.

People always ask me, “how do I become a writer?” I mean people I met on planes, at coffee shops, at the grocery store, while at malls/shopping centers, at events, dinner parties. “Oh, you’re a writer? Cool. I have an idea, how do I do that?”

WRITE, that’s how.

There is no other way to be a writer than to write.

The way you get good at it, write every day. You have to, there is no shortcut on this one. It takes time to learn your craft.

You also need to read-constantly. If you want to be a novelist, you have to read novels. It is best to read in your chosen genre. I met someone recently who said that she was writing YA and I asked her what she had read lately and she said, “Oh I hate books for teens.” I was so confused, why write YA then?

***don’t write to trends

If you want to be the next Cameron Crowe—watch a ton of films, study the characters, dialogue, story and to up this to the next level, get your hands on some shooting scripts. It’s important.

TV writers who don’t watch TV? What?? Yes, they exist. They often brag about how they don’t even own a TV and or waste their time, and then they are writing the next great sitcom or drama. That makes no sense to me.

You need to immerse yourself in whatever it is that you want to do. It’s important.

You can also get many TV scripts online. For TV writing it’s a bit more complicated because of formatting for cable, network, primetime, late night, half hour, single camera, multi-camera—-but first—get your characters and story down, then you will need to learn all the above to start submitting. Also in TV writing you must have spec scripts of existing shows—this is beyond important.

Okay, so what are you going to do today??? WRITE!!

If you don’t know how to start, how about at the beginning–get a blank sheet and just get some words down.

YOU CAN DO IT. I know you can!!!

www.judaniebean.com 

Story Concierge Signature Course launching this summer. Sign up for my VIP newsletter for a chance for a free spot as I will have scholarships available!

What Are Your Goals Today Writers??

Tags

Novels, Story, Writing

My goals are to write, relax and enjoy time with my new hubby–

I know that I’ve been gone awhile but I’ve been working on my new business.. see the logo.

More soon, but I am creating content for you, CREATIVES!!

I will make s separate post for that, in the meantime–time for Thursday goals!!

 

Happy writing!

Thank God! Warner Bros. Kills ‘Harry Potter’ In 3-D

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Harry Potter, Warner Bros. 3D

Thank God for small favors!! I hated the idea of Harry Potter in 3D. I hate 3D films in the first place. Not talking about animated films, but rather normal live action films that they ruin by turning them 3D.

First of all, it does not enhance the experience. I mean, how lazy are people that they can’t watch a film and enjoy it without feeling like they are in the bloody thing?

Second of all, the tickets cost a lot more  AND you have to wear glasses that tons of people have worn.

This is the best news I have heard all day. And before you feel sorry for WB, they will still make plenty of money.

Warner Bros. Kills ‘Harry Potter’ In 3-D

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Warner Bros. announced today it will release Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2-D only. The press release sums it up best:

“Despite everyone’s best efforts, we were unable to convert the film in its entirety and meet the highest standards of quality. We do not want to disappoint fans who have long-anticipated the conclusion of this extraordinary journey, and to that end, we are releasing our film day-and-date on November 19, 2010 as planned. We, in alignment with our filmmakers, believe this is the best course to take in order to ensure that our audiences enjoy the consummate ‘Harry Potter’ experience.”

This is a huge deal. It means Warner Bros. is leaving significant cash on the table as the studio could have charged an extra $3.25 per ticket extra for the film.

But Warner was burned earlier this year when it converted the film Clash of the Titans into 3-D after it had already been shot in 2-D. The film earned $493 million at the global  box office but the quality of the 3-D was so bad that it threatened to turn audiences off to the cash-cow phenomenon that 3-D could be.

They had to make sure that the conversion on Potter was significantly better than on Titans or risk the biggest franchise in Warner Bros. history.

The fact that the studio backed off says a lot about the leadership of Barry Meyer and Alan Horn (who is on his way outat the studio). The decision will probably mean more to the future of 3-D than anything since Avatarbecause it will give audiences faith that the studios are only putting out quality work.

Warner Bros. still plans to release the second part of Deathly Hallow, in July 2011, in 3-D. The first part hits theaters November 19th.

R. I. P. Spartacus

Tags

Tony Curtis

Sad news today. Another Hollywood legend leaves us all behind with only memories. I grabbed this from a CNN article

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/30/tony.curtis.obituary/index.html?hpt=T1

CNN— Screen legend Tony Curtis died Wednesday, his family said. He was 85.

“My father leaves behind a legacy of great performances in movies and in his paintings and assemblages,” actress Jamie Lee Curtis said in a statement Thursday. “He leaves behind children and their families who loved him and respected him and a wife and in-laws who were devoted to him. He also leaves behind fans all over the world. He will be greatly missed.”

Curtis starred in more than 150 motion pictures and was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in 1958’s “The Defiant Ones” with Sidney Poitier.

Curtis also is known for his roles in the 1959 movie “Some Like it Hot” with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon and “Spartacus” in 1960 with Kirk Douglas. He also played the lead role in “The Boston Strangler,” released in 1968.

Curtis recalled last year how he landed the plum role in “Some Like it Hot”, his most memorable part.

“I got in it because (director) Billy Wilder … said at that time, ‘I want the handsomest kid in town,’ and they picked me,” Curtis told CNN iReporter Chris Morrow. “Well, that was a great compliment.”

Curtis also recalled what it was like starring with Monroe, whom he said he dated for about four months in 1949 or 1950.

“We had a wonderful time together,” he said. “We were both very young and hoping to get in the movies.”

Born in New York City in 1925 as Bernard Schwartz, Curtis grew up poor in the Bronx as his family struggled through the Great Depression. He took the name Tony Curtis in the late 1940s, when he started his film career.

He was married six times, most notably to film star Janet Leigh.

With his long eyelashes, lustrous shock of wavy black hair and New York accent, Curtis cut a colorful swath through the Hollywood of the 1950s and ’60s, marrying three times in two decades and appearing in more than 60 films and TV programs.

He starred opposite Leigh, his first wife, in 1953’s “Houdini,” playing the title role of magician Harry Houdini. Other major roles soon followed, including “Trapeze” in 1956 and “The Sweet Smell of Success” in 1957.

“Tony even made it seem natural for a Norseman to have a New York accent in The Vikings (1958),” said his official biography. “But it was in 1958 when Curtis and Sidney Poitier starred in Stanley Kramer’s social drama The Defiant Ones (1959) which earned both men Academy Award nominations and was among the most acclaimed and profitable films of the year.”

Another huge hit came in 1959, playing opposite Cary Grant in “Operation Petticoat.”

Curtis once said that his biggest regret was not winning an Oscar, but other awards found their way to him.

He received a lifetime achievement award from the Italian Oscars in May 1996, his website says, and in March 1995 was honored with the Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his work in films and his original art works. Curtis also was honored by the USA Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

The actor worked with some of film’s biggest directors, including Blake Edwards, Stanley Kubrick, Elia Kazan, Vincente Minnelli and Nicolas Roeg.

Curtis served in the Navy during World War II and, upon his release, used the GI educational program to study drama, his biography said.

“He first gained attention in a Greenwich Village stage production of ‘Golden Boy,’ and was quickly offered a contract by Universal Pictures.” the bio says.

“His screen debut had him dancing with Yvonne de Carlo in ‘Criss Cross.’ His few seconds on screen were enough to generate thousands of fan letters to the handsome young man. Universal had the fastest rising star in Hollywood and one of the most enduring prolific actors of modern times.”

Curtis led a turbulent life off-screen, divorcing five times. Of the six children he had with three wives, a son died in 1994 from a reported heroin overdose.

Curtis admitted he battled drugs and alcohol abuse during the 1970s and 1980s and sought treatment at the famous Betty Ford Center in 1984.

In later years, Curtis began painting and was known particularly for his portraits.

But it was for his long and varied movie career and his larger-than-life personality that Curtis will be remembered.

“It’s a sad day for the entertainment world,” family attorney Eli Blumenfield said. “Tony was one of few remaining Hollywood icons. He led a good life, fathered six wonderful children and he was always proud of them. He will be sorely missed.

“Tony Curtis, photographed in 1950 with Janet Leigh, was nomiated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Award.

Steve Kaplan ACTORS Comedy Workshop!

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Steve Kaplan

Now Registering!

STEVE KAPLAN’S

ACTORS COMEDY WORKSHOP

Limited Space Available!

October 16-17th, 2010

To register:

http://www.kaplancomedy.com/actorsintensive.html

David Fury, Emmy-Winning Writer/Producer for 24, Lost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more said of Steve:“I wrote…my best, funniest sketches thanks, in no small part, to the lessons I learned from Steve Kaplan’s comedy classes. Steve breaks the fine art of comedy down…that helps the unfunny become funny, and the funny become funnier.”

The first session is an introduction and exploration of what we call “The Hidden Tools of Comedy,” the unique techniques, exercises and approaches not taught in your standard acting class. The second session would focus on applying those tools to script analysis, cold readings, rehearsals, solo work and auditions.

“I was able to put your advice into action immediately.  There was this one line in the play I am currently performing in (‘Rabbit Hole’ by David Lindsay-Abaire – I play the role of Izzy) – which I just had not been able to land – and I had tried everything – with no success.  On opening night I even talked to some of our countries best theatrical comedy actors and asked how they would do it – and then tried their approaches – but still no real laugh.  Then on Saturday as I was coming up to the line – it suddenly dawned on me to use the tool you taught us –“Non-Hero’– my character ‘knew too much” – and as simple as that – huge laugh.  So thank you so much – I have no doubt I will be dipping into your ‘toolbox’ for the rest of my career. Thanks so much – your course was truly inspirational and hilarious – always the best combination.” Queenie van de Zandt, Actor/Singer/Writer

Event Details:

October 16 & 17, 2010

The Actors Network

1069 N. Fairfax Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90046

Saturday

1pm to 7pm

Sunday

10:00am to 5:00pm

Fees:

$250

To register:

http://www.kaplancomedy.com/actorsintensive.html

For more information,

email Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Intensive at: skcomedy@aol.com

or phone: 818-718-7570

STEVE KAPLAN ENDORSEMENTS:

“I really enjoyed this weekend, thank you. I thought I was going to hate it because I’ve always thought no one can teach how to do comedy, I was wrong.”   –Josh Thomas, Winner, “Best New Talent” Melbourne International Comedy Festival

“A few years ago I had the good fortune to take Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Weekend Intensive for Actors. As an actress for over 35 years I have had all kinds of training. Traditional training does not begin to really teach the mechanics of comedy, and Improv is only a part of comedy. But Kaplan more than fills in the gapsI We’ve all heard the saying “Dying is easy – COMEDY is hard!” Well, Steve Kaplan makes it easy or at least extremely accessible…and simultaneously he makes it such fun!! I can’t even BEGIN to tell you how much I learned.  Through film and tv clips, Steve shows us “why” the greats are great at comedy. He teaches a brief history, a little bit of script analysis, the difference between funny and comic, and empowers the actor with some wonderful tools so that when the weekend is over you leave with an excitement and desire to work on a comedy as soon as possible. Top it all off with the fact that he is funny himself, and just a terrific guy that is great fun to be around. This is the kind of course I would like to take again, because it is chock-full of both laughs and info, and comedy training of this sort is just not available elsewhere.” Deb Cresswell, Actress

“Steve Kaplan was a very important influence on me as a young performer and writer. Many of his techniques for analyzing a comedy scene I still use to this day. Although, I make sure I never give him credit.”- Steve Skrovan, Writer/Producer for Everybody Loves Raymond

“Kaplan – the Stanislavski of Comedy!” – Backstage Magazine

“The best comedy intensive workshop in the city. If you can [take the class], and are serious about comedy, I highly recommend this class.” – P.B., Talent Manager

More Endorsements on the Kaplan Website

Check out some of the great press Steve got in Film Ink magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald and more from his recent tour of Australia: PRESS

Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Intensive website

Steve Kaplan’s Comedy Intensive

818 718-7570

skcomedy@aol.com

http://www.KaplanComedy.com

Please visit Steve Kaplan’s website for more information. If you have any additional questions, or would like to register over the phone, please don’t hesitate to call us at 818 718-7570. We can be e-mailed at skcomedy@aol.com

Steve Kaplan’s Comedy IntensiveKaplanComedy.com
818-718-7570
Follow me on
Twitter at Twitter.com/skcomedy
Facebook at Facebook.com/KaplanComedy

The Woman in the Picture is Me

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Gloria Stuart, Titanic

This is from an article in MTV news written by Ditzian

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1648785/20100927/story.jhtml

Gloria Stuart, whose role as a Titanic survivor in James Cameron’s film earned her an Oscar nomination, has died at the age of 100.

Stuart was diagnosed with lung cancer five years ago and died Sunday night at her home in West Los Angeles.

Her career in Hollywood began in the 1930s, when she was under contract with Universal and 20th Century Fox and starred in films like “The Invisible Man” with Claude Rains, “Here Comes the Navy” opposite James Cagney and two Shirley Temple films. She appeared in 42 features before 1939, when her studio contract was not renewed. She struggled to find work and retired from film in 1946.

Cameron resurrected Stuart’s career in 1997, when he cast her as Rose Calvert, the older version of Kate Winslet’s character in “Titanic.” As a centenarian survivor of the cruise-ship disaster, Rose had hidden away a priceless blue diamond necklace that treasure hunters had been seeking. Toward the film’s climax, she dramatically tossed the necklace into the same waters in which her street artist-turned-lover Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) had perished during the 1912 ship sinking.

The then-87-year-old Stuart nabbed a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod for the role, becoming the oldest actress ever to receive an Academy Award nomination. Though “Titanic” won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture and Directing, Stuart lost her category to Kim Basinger for her turn in “L.A. Confidential.”

Stuart was born on July 4, 1910, in Santa Monica, California. She is survived by her daughter, four grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. “When I graduated from Santa Monica High in 1927, I was voted the girl most likely to succeed,” she wrote in her 1999 memoir, according to The Washington Post. “I didn’t realize it would take so long.”

By Eric Ditzian

PRIMETIME EMMY NOMS ARE HERE!

Tags

Primetime Emmy Nominations

2010 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations list
BEST COMEDY SERIES

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)
“Glee” (FOX)
“Modern Family” (ABC)
“Nurse Jackie” (Showtime)
“The Office” (NBC)
“30 Rock” (NBC)

BEST COMEDY ACTOR

Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”)
Larry David (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”)
Matthew Morrison (“Glee”)
Tony Shalhoub (“Monk”)
Steve Carell (“The Office”)
Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”)

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS

Lea Michele (“Glee”)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“The New Adventures Of Old Christine”)
Edie Falco (“Nurse Jackie”)
Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”)
Tina Fey (“30 Rock”)
Toni Collette (“United States of Tara”)

BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR

Chris Colfer (“Glee”)
Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Modern Family”)
Eric Stonestreet (“Modern Family”)
Ty Burrell (“Modern Family”)
Jon Cryer (“Two and a Half Men”)

BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS

Jane Lynch (“Glee”)
Julie Bowen (“Modern Family”)
Sofia Vergara (“Modern Family”)
Kristen Wiig (“Saturday Night Live”)
Jane Krakowski (“30 Rock”)
Holland Taylor (“Two and a Half Men”)

BEST DRAMA SERIES

“Breaking Bad” (AMC)
“Dexter” (Showtime)
“The Good Wife” (CBS)
“Lost” (ABC)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“True Blood” (HBO)

BEST DRAMA ACTOR

Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”)
Michael C. Hall (“Dexter”)
Kyle Chandler (“Friday Night Lights”)
Hugh Laurie (“House”)
Matthew Fox (“Lost”)
Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”)

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS

Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer”)
Glenn Close (“Damages”)
Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights”)
Julianna Margulies (“The Good Wife”)
Mariska Hargitay (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”)
January Jones (“Mad Men”)

BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR

Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”)
Martin Short (“Damages”)
Terry O’Quinn (“Lost”)
Michael Emerson (“Lost”)
John Slattery (“Mad Men”)
Andre Braugher (“Men of a Certain Age”)

BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS

Sharon Gless (“Burn Notice”)
Rose Byrne (“Damages”)
Archie Panjabi (“The Good Wife”)
Christine Baranski (“The Good Wife”)
Christina Hendricks (“Mad Men”)
Elisabeth Moss (“Mad Men”)

BEST TV MOVIES

“Endgame” (PBS)
“Georgia O’Keeffe” (Lifetime)
“Moonshot” (HISTORY)
“The Special Relationship” (HBO)
“Temple Grandin”(HBO)
“You Don’t Know Jack” (HBO)

BEST MINISERIES

“The Pacific” (HBO)
“Return to Cranford” (PBS)

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Maggie Smith (“Capturing Mary”)
Joan Allen (“Georgia O’Keeffe”)
Judi Dench (“Return to Cranford”)
Hope Davis (“The Special Relationship”)
Claire Danes (“Temple Grandin”)

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Jeff Bridges (“A Dog Year”)
Ian McKellen (“The Prisoner”)
Michael Sheen (“The Special Relationship”)
Dennis Quaid (“The Special Relationship”)
Al Pacino (“You Don’t Know Jack”)

BEST VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES

“The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)
“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” (Comedy Central)
“Real Time With Bill Maher” (HBO)
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
“The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” (NBC)

BEST VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SPECIAL

Bill Maher “…But I’m Not Wrong” (HBO)
“Hope For Haiti Now” (Tenth Planet Productions and MTV)
“The Kennedy Center Honors” (CBS)
“Robin Williams: Weapons Of Self Destruction” (HBO)
“The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert” (HBO)
“Wanda Sykes: I’ma Be Me” (HBO)

BEST REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM

“The Amazing Race” (CBS)
“American Idol” (FOX)
“Dancing With the Stars” (ABC)
“Project Runway” (Lifetime)
“Top Chef” (Bravo)

BEST REALITY PROGRAM
“Antiques Roadshow” (PBS)
“Dirty Jobs” (Discovery Channel)
“Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” (ABC)
“Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List” (Bravo)
“MythBusters” (Discovery Channel)
“Undercover Boss” (CBS)

BEST HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
Phil Keoghan (“The Amazing Race”)
Ryan Seacrest (“American Idol”)
Tom Bergeron (“Dancing With the Stars”)
Heidi Klum (“Project Runway”)
Jeff Probst (“Survivor”)

BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Mike O’Malley (“Glee”)
Neil Patrick Harris (“Glee”)
Fred Willard (“Modern Family”)
Eli Wallach (“Nurse Jackie”)
Jon Hamm (“30 Rock”)
Will Arnett (“30 Rock”)

BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Beau Bridges (“The Closer”)
Ted Danson (“Damages”)
John Lithgow (“Dexter”)
Alan Cumming (“The Good Wife”)
Dylan Baker (“The Good Wife”)
Robert Morse (“Mad Men”)
Gregory Itzin (“24”)

BEST GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Christine Baranski (“The Big Bang Theory”)
Kathryn Joosten (“Desperate Housewives”)
Kristin Chenoweth (“Glee”)
Tina Fey (“Saturday Night Live”)
Betty White (“Saturday Night Live”)
Elaine Stritch (“30 Rock”)
Jane Lynch (“Two And A Half Men”)

BEST GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Mary Kay Place (“Big Love”)
Sissy Spacek (“Big Love”)
Shirley Jones (“The Closer”)
Lily Tomlin (“Damages”)
Ann-Margret (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”)
Elizabeth Mitchell (“Lost”)

BEST VOICE-OVER PERFORMANCE
H. Jon Benjamin (“Archer”)
Dave Foley (“Disney Prep & Landing”)
Seth Green (“Robot Chicken”)
Dan Castellaneta (“The Simpsons”)
Hank Azaria (“The Simpsons”)
Anne Hathaway (“The Simpsons”)

BEST ANIMATED PROGRAM
“Alien Earths” (NGC)
“Disney Prep & Landing” (ABC)
“The Ricky Gervais Show” (HBO)
“The Simpsons” (FOX)
“South Park” (Comedy Central)

BEST SHORT-FORM ANIMATED PROGRAM

“Adventure Time” (Cartoon Network)
“Chowder” (Cartoon Network)
“Disney Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil” (Disney Channel)
“The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack” (Cartoon Network)
“Robot Chicken” (Cartoon Network)
“Uncle Grandpa” (CartoonNetwork.com)

BEST ART DIRECTION FOR A MULTI-CAMERA SERIES

“The Big Bang Theory” (CBS)
“Hell’s Kitchen” (FOX)
“How I Met Your Mother” (CBS)
“The New Adventures of Old Christine” (CBS)
“Rules of Engagement” (CBS)

BEST ART DIRECTION FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES
“Glee” (FOX)
“Heroes” (NBC)
“Lost” (ABC)
“Modern Family” (ABC)
“True Blood” (HBO)
“The Tudors” (Showtime)

BEST ART DIRECTION FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

“Georgia O’Keeffe” (Lifetime)
“The Pacific” (HBO)
“Return to Cranford” (PBS)
“Temple Grandin” (HBO)
“You Don’t Know Jack” (HBO)

BEST ART DIRECTION FOR VARIETY, MUSIC, OR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
82nd Annual Academy Awards (ABC)
“American Idol” (FOX)
“Saturday Night Live” (FOX)
“The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” (NBC)
63rd wnnual Tony Awards (CBS)
The Who Super Bowl Halftime Show (CBS)

BEST CASTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
“Glee” (FOX)
“Modern Family” (ABC)
“Nurse Jackie” (Showtime)
“30 Rock” (NBC)
“United States of Tara” (Showtime)

BEST CASTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
“Big Love” (HBO)
“Dexter” (Showtime)
“Friday Night Lights” (Direct TV)
“The Good Wife” (CBS)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“True Blood” (HBO)

BEST CASTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL

“Emma” (PBS)
“Georgia O’Keeffe” (Lifetime)
“The Pacific” (HBO)
“Temple Grandin” (HBO)
“You Don’t Know Jack” (HBO)

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

82nd annual Academy Awards (ABC)
“Dancing With the Stars” (ABC)
“Dancing With the Stars” (ABC)
“So You Think You Can Dance” (FOX)
“So You Think You Can Dance” (FOX)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A HALF-HOUR SERIES

“Gary Unmarried” (CBS)
“Hung” (HBO)
“Nurse Jackie” (Showtime)
“30 Rock” (NBC)
“Two and a Half Men” (CBS)
“Weeds” (Showtime)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A ONE HOUR SERIES

“Breaking Bad” (AMC)
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (CBS)
“FlashForward” (ABC)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“The Tudors” (Showtime)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A MINSERIES OR MOVIE

“The Pacific” (HBO)
“The Pacific” (HBO)
“The Prisoner” (AMC)
“Return to Cranford” (PBS)
“You Don’t Know Jack” (HBO)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING

“America: The Story Of Us” (History)
“Deadliest Catch” (Discovery Channel)
“Life” (Discovery Channel)
“The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” (PBS)
“Whale Wars” (Animal Planet)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR REALITY PROGRAMMING

“The Amazing Race” (CBS)
“Dirty Jobs” (Discovery Channel)
“Man Vs. Wild” (Discovery Channel)
“Survivor” (CBS)
“Top Chef Masters” (Bravo)
BEST COMMERCIAL

Anthem (Absolut)
Coke Finals (Coca-Cola)
Game (Mars Snack Food US/Snickers)
Green Police (Audi)
Human Chain (Nike)
The Man Your Man Could Smell Like (Old Spice Body Wash)

BEST COSTUMES FOR A SERIES

“Glee” (FOX)
“The Good Wife” (CBS)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“30 Rock” (NBC)
“The Tudors” (Showtime)

BEST COSTUMES FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL

“Emma” (PBS)
“Georgia O’Keeffe” (Lifetime)
“The Pacific” (HBO)
“Return To Cranford” (PBS)
“You Don’t Know Jack” (HBO)

BEST DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

“Glee” (FOX)
“Glee” (FOX)
“Modern Family” (ABC)
“Nurse Jackie” (Showtime)
“30 Rock” (NBC)

BEST DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

“Breaking Bad’ (AMC)
“Dexter” (Showtime)
“Lost” (ABC)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“Treme” (HBO)

BEST DIRECTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL

“Georgia O’Keeffe” (Lifetime)
“The Pacific” (HBO)
“The Pacific” (HBO)
“Temple Grandin” (HBO)
“You Don’t Know Jack” (HBO)

BEST DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES

“The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)
“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” (Comedy Central)
“Late Show With David Letterman” (CBS)
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
“The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” (NBC)

BEST DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SPECIAL

“In Performance At The White House: A Celebration Of Music From The Civil Rights Movement” (PBS)
The Kennedy Center Honors (CBS)
63rd Annual Tony Awards (CBS)
The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert (HBO)
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony (NBC)

BEST DIRECTING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING

“The Amazing Race” (CBS)
“By The People: The Election Of Barack Obama” (HBO)
“Monty Python: Almost The Truth (The Lawyer’s Cut)” (IFC)
“My Lai” (PBS)
“Terror In Mumbai” (HBO)

BEST SINGLE-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

“Breaking Bad” (AMC)
“Dexter” (Showtime)
“Lost” (ABC)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“Mad Men” (AMC)

BEST PICTURE EDITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)
“Modern Family” (ABC)
“Modern Family” (ABC)
“30 Rock” (NBC)

BEST SINGLE-CAMERA PICTURE EDITING FOR A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

“The Pacific” (HBO)
“The Pacific” (HBO)
“The Pacific” (HBO)
“Temple Grandin” (HBO)
“You Don’t Know Jack” (HBO)

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R.I.P. Ed Limato

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Ed Limator, WME

By Nikki Finke | Saturday July 3, 2010 @ 11:08am PDT

Ed Limato had been ill from lung disease and awaiting a lung transplant that never came. He arrived home from Cedars Sinai this week and fell into a coma. In recent days the icon who’d spent four decades in showbiz guidng the careers of some of its biggest stars was surrounded by everyone he loved: his clients and his friends and his colleagues. The untimely passing of this legendary talent agent at age 73 will cast a pall over Hollywood this holiday weekend. But his reputation as one of the greats will live on.

Most recently, Limato was a senior agent at WME Entertainment but he’d spent a lifetime moving between ICM and William Morris agencies. He began his career in the mailroom of the Ashley-Famous Agency in New York in 1966. That tenpercentery eventually became International Famous Agency where Ed was promoted to junior agent. Later, Ashley-Famous merged with Creative Management Associates to become International Creative Management (ICM). He transferred to ICM’s West Coast office but was lured away to the William Morris Agency in 1978 by his idol Stan Kamen’s motion picture talent departmen for a 10-year stay and some of Limato’s most productive years. There he helped discover Mel Gibson, Richard Gere, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Costner, and Michael Biehn among so many other clients. By 1984, Limato seemed destined to be the town’s next superstar agent. But Limato found the Morris elders’ end-of-year bonus offer insulting and didn’t come into the office for a week. He met with ICM and agreed to return. When Kamen learned what happened, he demanded a new contract for Limato: $250,000 for 1984, $300,000 for 1985, $350,000 for 1986, and a new Jaguar. Limato stayed.

By 1988, Stan Kamen had died, an internal battle was raging to run his department, and it embroiled Limato in another contract dispute that even involved a lawsuit. This time, Ed did go back to ICM where he cemented his reputation as a superstar agent and took all his movie stars, now joined by Denzel Washington and Steve Martin and Billy Crystal and Liam Neeson, to the next level of superstardom. There he rose to become a major administrator of the agency. But after ICM merged with the TV agency Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann in 2006, Limato found himself in the summer of 2007 embroiled in a very bitter and very public contract renewal battle with newly installed ICM president Chris Silbermann.

At issue was whether Ed would remain part of ICM management and if so what he would get paid. One proposal on the table was for Limato to stay as an eminence gris and rep his clients as usual but relinquish his management role so ICM could effect generational change. On the money front, Limato was making $5 million in salary and bonuses with perks like another mil at least for his Oscar party, two script readers, three assistants, and own business affairs person. Plus, Ed insisted that all of his aides eventually be promoted to agent status. ICM wanted him to downsize, especially his annual Friday night pre-Oscar party which for years had been the ne-plus-ultra of Hollywood (where Limato became known as “The Barefoot Contessa’ because of his penchant for hosting shoeless despite his sartorial splendor) until Bryan Lourd’s and Ari Emanuel’s competing parties began to eclipse it. Limato claimed both his authority and stature were being undermined by the new regime, which, he alleged, planned on forcing him into early retirement. Limato wanted out of his contract. ICM refused.

The dispute was taken to arbitration, where Limato challenged a 3-year non-compete clause, which would have forbid him to work for another agency and forced him to remain at ICM as a consultant. During arbitration, Limato’s lawyers argued that his contract dated back to the mid-1990s and violated the California law stemming from the old studio contract system known as the “seven year rule,” stating that anyone who renders extraordinary or unique services cannot be bound to a contract for more than seven years. On August 13, 2007, the arbitrator found in favor of Limato and against ICM. Just a few days later, Limato and his movie clients including some making salaries of more than $20M plus first dollar gross went back to the William Morris Agency and joined his former colleagues Jim Wiatt and Dave Wirtschafter. As Wiatt said at the time, “Over the years I’ve respected and admired Ed as both a colleague and competitor, and I can assure you I prefer him as a colleague.” Limato bid his ICM colleagues a fond farewell.

After William Morris merged with Endeavor in June 2009, and despite Wiatt’s ouster from the new company, Limato seamlessly transitioned into WME Entertainment where he was treated with the respect he deserved. At one staff meeting last December, Patrick Whitesell gave accolades to Limato as WME’s “Iron Man” in the vein of MVP QB Brett Favre and presented Ed with a Minnesota Vikings jersey emblazoned with the name “Limato” on the back as staffers stood and applauded. Now, everyone there knew that Ed would rather go to the symphony than attend a football game. But he gamely accepted the jersey and exclaimed, “I can’t wait to wear it on Saturday night.”

Today, WME Entertainment issued this statement to me: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague Ed Limato. He was the consummate agent, launching the careers of some of the most celebrated artists of our time, always with his signature style and class. His passion for this business was contagious, inspiring so many who had the privilege of knowing him. A true legend, Ed has left an indelible mark on our industry. We will miss him dearly.”

After Limato’s departure, ICM’s already troubled motion picture talent edepartment never recovered. ICM Chairman and CEO Jeff Berg gave me this statement on Limato’s passing: “Ed was valued colleague for many years, and he had a remarkable impact on the entertainment business. He dedicated his life to his clients and guided the careers of many important artists in our industry.”

Jim Wiatt emailed me today: “I am saddened by the passing of my friend Ed Limato. I had the privilege to work with Ed for over 30 years, at ICM and the William Morris Agency. He loved his clients, and represented them with style, class and the ultimate commitment to their art. He will be missed, but always remembered.”

Today, Limato’s friends issued this obituary to me, and I can attest that this part is accurate:

“Ed Limato was in a class by himself – an iconoclast, as Vanity Fair once called him – a talent agent who glided through Hollywood with poise and panache. He hearkened back to the Golden Age, a time when men were more refined and elegant, as if he were preparing for an evening at the Mocambo. Yet despite his reverence for Hollywood of yore, his client list kept him active and relevant into the 21st century. He was as colorful as he was powerful. Always handsomely coiffed and impeccably dressed, Limato would promenade into the office wearing Italian suits of mustard yellow or salmon pink, rallying to his assistants, ‘Let’s talk to the stars.’

“Limato’s love for old Hollywood was not just apparent in his demeanor. His Coldwater Canyon Estate, known as “Heather House”, was built in 1936 by Hollywood stars Dick Powell and Joan Blondell and later owned by George Raft. The game room was adorned with Hirschfeld caricatures acquired from the old MGM commissary, and his screening room was named after Marlene Dietrich. He even gave his assistants a list of classic Hollywood films that they were to watch and report back to him with analysis.

“Limato is the last of the great talent agents – a breed that dwindled with the loss of Stan Kamen and Irving ‘Swifty’ Lazar. Over the years, his client list read like a who’s who of Hollywood legends and Oscar winners, including Ava Gardner, Marlon Brando, Michelle Pfeiffer, Meryl Streep, Wynona Ryder, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Costner, Goldie Hawn, Dennis Quaid, Madonna, Nicholas Cage, Robert Downey, Jr., and Liam Neeson. To Limato, his clients were less business and more family. Instead of family photographs in his living room, he kept exquisitely framed headshots of every actor he ever represented. Limato could be as obstreperous as any Hollywood bad boy, throwing tantrums and hanging up the phone on the most powerful players. However, he would often follow up with an apology or bouquet of flowers.”

I was fortunate to have known Limato personally and professionally and interviewed him extensively over the years. Here’s my take on why Ed was such an extraordinary Hollywood agent: he was a throwback to the pre-Ovitz days of the Hollywood talent agent where even small actors came before big deals, where clients’ problems came before his own, where brutal honesty came before feigned sincerity. Average height (which made him tall in Hollywood), moody and a heavy smoker, he was born to be an agent. He loved the adrenaline rush of the phone calls and the negotiations and the power lunches with the stars. His official bio noted:

“Although it’s common for clients to jump from agency to agency, Limato inspired loyalty from the likes of Gere, Gibson and Washington, who have been with him for most of their careers. He was often criticized for maintaining his own agency within the agency, because his office consisted of three trainees, a personal assistant, a lawyer and a story editor. But while most agents are all about the deal, Limato serviced the client. Because of his unique style, Gere, Gibson, Washington and Martin did not have managers. Limato was a full-service agent.”

That Limato was out of the closet was accepted by his peers and clients as readily as his availability 24 hours a day. In turn, his showbiz clients and friends became his surrogate family. He cared so deeply about his actors that pals wondered if Limato would go the way of Sue Mengers and burn out. But Limato had staying power.

A self-made man, Edward Frank Limato was born in Mount Vernon NY, the son of Italian-American blue collar laborers. Limato early on gravitated to gangs. “I was in a lot of trouble in junior high school,” he once told me, and was thrown out of high school three months before graduation. Limato loved going to the movies on Saturdays and wanted to make a living somehow in the film business. So, as a teenager, he headed off to New York City. “But I didn’t have the guts to become an actor,” he recalled. He bummed around Europe where, in Rome in 1966, he met director Franco Zeffirelli who offered him an assistant’s job on the set of The Taming Of The Shrewi. On the set, Michael York said to him, “You should be an agent.” From that moment on, he was.

He built up a client base of TV actors but wanted to rep movie stars. Soon, Richard Gere walked into Limato’s office. The agent signed him on the spot. But Gere wanted to be a musician: he played nine different instruments, including the clarinet (his skill was later showcased in The Cotton Club). But Limato argued that Gere should concentrate on a dramatic career. The rushes of Gere’s performance in 1977’s Looking for Mr. Goodbar were enough for Paramount’s Don Simpson to immediately call Limato and say he had to have Gere for his next movie, American Gigolo, then a dark picture about a male prostitute caught up in a gruesome murder. While Gere hemmed and hawed about whether to do the film, Simpson offered the movie to John Travolta, who following Saturday Night Fever was the hottest star in Hollywood at that moment. Limato was puttering around his new cottage in Laurel Canyon when director Paul Schrader phoned to inform him that Travolta had passed on American Gigolo.

“If Travolta doesn’t want to do it, then I don’t want it,” Gere told his agent.

“Just put the crap aside,” Limato patiently counseled.

The role initially was a homosexual prostitute, then a bisexual male hooker. One scene called for the character to hang out in a gay bar. Gere decided to research the role, so he dragged along his agent Limato, his friend and studio exec Craig Baumgarten, his director Paul Schrader, and his co-star Lauren Hutton from gay bar to gay bar. “It was hysterical. Ed maintained he knew nothing about where anybody went, but we kept teasing him all night,” recalled Craig Baumgarten (who like Limato maintained Gere is “100% heterosexual” and was convinced that the rumors about the actor’s alleged homosexuality all stem from that night of research). Subsequently, Limato talked Gere into starring in An Officer and a Gentleman. Suddenly, Limato was handling one of the biggest stars in the world.

If the true measure of an agent is not just what other superstars he can steal, but what careers he can create, then Limato was a better agent than CAA’s Mike Ovitz or Ron Meyer. At the time, the Australian film industry was just beginning to make an impact on Hollywood. An Australian agent sent over a photo and a resume of a client he thought Limato might want. As Limato slipped the photograph from the envelope, it took his breath away. But could Mel Gibson act? Limato would soon find out. Gibson had just made Mad Max, a low-budget Australian movie directed by George Miller which had fared well in Europe. The agent expected to be disappointed. Instead, he was awestruck. From the very first frame of film, Gibson showed range.

As it turned out, Gibson had already visited several agencies, including CAA. “CAA asked him to ‘read,’ Limato recalled to me. “I really want you to be my client,” Limato said to him. As Gibson’s star rose, so, too, did Limato’s.

When Kamen’s longtime protege Gary Lucchesi left Morris, Limato inherited his clients, including the Orange Country beauty queen turned model, Michelle Pfeiffer, who ended up in Grease 2. She’d been discovered by casting director Wally Nicita. According to Ed’s bio, “Limato was a voracious reader and believed that good material was the key to stardom. He suggested Michelle Pfeiffer for the role in Scarface”, which launched her serious film career.

But Kevin Costner was the one who got away. Limato first learned about him from celebrity photographer Herb Ritts who asked Ed to meet with a young male model. But weeks went by and the model never phoned for an appointment. Costner’s acting career was being handled by a commercial agency at the time. When Wally Nicita was casting a role in Mike’s Murder, and Costner came into her office and did a cold reading that she told William Morris agent Gary Lucchesi was “incredible”, he signed Costner. (Costner also became best known around Hollywood as the corpse who was edited out of Lawrence Kasdan’s baby-boomer hit The Big Chill.) When Limato was introduced to Costner in the Morris hallway, he thought the name sounded familiar. “Wait a minute, don’t you know Herb Ritts? Weren’t you supposed to call?”

Replied a sheepish Costner: “I didn’t call you because I knew you were too busy. But I would have loved to have met you.”

When Lucchesi left Morris, those clients he didn’t give to Limato were up for grabs. Kevin Costner decided to sign with Lucchesi’s Morris secretary turned junior agent, J.J. Harris. It was her idea to get Costner involved with Limato, then head of Morris’ motion picture talent department. From that point on, Harris and Limato had an intense rivalry over Costner’s career. Limato was instrumental in landing Costner his breakthrough in 1987’s The Untouchables. Initially, Paramount’s then head of production, Dawn Steel, wanted Limato’s other client, Mel Gibson, for the role of Eliot Ness. When Gibson passed, Limato started pushing Costner. “Please, please, go back to Mel,” Steel pleaded. In a wily act of agenting, he kept Paramount waiting for Gibson’s answer for three weeks, all the while calling the studio executives every day, pushing Costner. Finally, Limato could stall no longer. After all, Steel was a good friend who had even dated his key client, Richard Gere, years before. “Dawn, I have some bad news for you and some good news for you,” Limato started. “The bad news is: Mel definitely is not going to do The Untouchables .” Immediately, Steel cut to the chase. “What’s the good news?” Limato preened. “The good news is that Kevin Costner wants to do it.”

“I know that, and I have good news for you,” Steel countered. “We want Kevin.”

Later, Costner’s did No Way Out, which also had gone first to Gibson, who wasn’t interested. Meanwhile, Limato’s relationship with Harris was worse than ever. It fell to Morris business affairs head Roger Davis to mediate what he called “a nightmare”. Not that Limato was always right. It was Harris who first read the script for Bull Durham and knew she was holding gold. Limato worried that the film would fall apart, saying producer Thom Mount had about as much chance of getting it made as seeing snow fall in Malibu. Well, as it turned out, snow fell in Malibu that year, and Bull Durham got made. Limato had another tug-of-war with Harris over Ray Stark’s Revenge. Limato knew that Gere and Gibson had turned it down. And then Limato received a phone call from Costner asking for help. Costner informed Limato he also wanted to do Field of Dreams for Universal. Both movies had the same start dates. Limato persuaded Stark to flip his start date with Field of Dreams, which, because of the growing season for corn, had a schedule that couldn’t be changed.

Then, the unthinkable happened: Limato was about to lose Richard Gere. Since An Officer and a Gentleman, the actor had done one bomb after another, and Limato would pound the conference table with his fist at the Morris’ Wednesday motion picture meetings and snarl, “Goddammit, why aren’t you people finding a job for Richard!” Gere was going to sign with ICM’s Sam Cohn. Immediately, Limato followed Richard out the door to join the rival agency. Morris tried to sue, then settled, and took solace that Costner, now a huge star, had stayed. Limato chose Gere over Costner. Few agents would have done that back then. Ed then orchestrated Gere’s comeback by talking him into doing Pretty Woman.

In lieu of flowers, the family is suggesting donations be made to the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

Shonda Rhimes on “Sanctuary” and “Death and All His Friends”…

Because the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy was brilliant and there hasn’t been one like this since season two-you remember, Denny, Izzy in the pink dress, Meredith’s panties and Finn the vet looking sad as she stands between him and McDreamy?
Tonight’s was AMAZING. Well done Shonda!!!

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http://www.greyswriters.com/

Shonda Rhimes on “Sanctuary” and “Death and All His Friends”…

Original Airdate: 5-20-10

When I was a kid and I did something crazy, like climb on the roof or eat detergent to see how it tasted, my mom would say — in that weary, exasperated, “I’d rather be on the beach” tone that all moms have – she would say, “Shonda, what do you have to say for yourself? WHAT?”

I tell you this because I am quite sure that if you saw the finale and you are reading this blog and you…I don’t know, like babies or Mer/Der or happiness or dancing it out…if you like those things, you are shouting, “Shonda, what do you have to say for yourself? WHAT?”

(I’d like to point out that the dark and twisty among you might not be shouting at all. You might be saying, “I get you, Sister! Solidarity!” Or maybe I’m just desperately hoping that is true.)

My point is, if you are asking what I have to say for myself, my answer is this:

I don’t know what to say for myself.

Honestly, I don’t. So I’m going to ramble for a while and see if I come up with something.

Ready? Here we go:

When I pitched this finale at the beginning of Season 6 (those of you who know me know that I pitch the end of the season first and we work towards it), when I pitched a gunman shooting up the hospital, it seemed fine.

Really it did.

And then 20 or so episodes later, I started to write it and it did not seem fine. It did not seem fine at all. On an almost daily basis, I would come into work and throw myself down on the sofa in the middle of the office and burst into tears like a…well, like a bitch baby. And I would tell the other Grey’s writers, “I don’t think I can do this. It’s too horrible. People are getting hurt. That man is shooting them.” Buckets of bitch baby tears. And Tony and Hammer and Pete and everyone on the writing staff would murmur encouraging things. My assistant Miguel would say, “You can do it! It’s going to be great!” in that cheerful Miguel way. And so I would suck up the bitch baby tears and keep writing.

But here’s the thing. It hurt to write this finale. It literally hurt me. Because in order to write these episodes, I had to walk in the shoes of Gary Clark. I had to think like a shooter. A person who would shoot Reed and Alex and Charles. A person who would shoot Derek. By the time I finished writing part one, I was sick. And depressed. Because my McDreamy – and I think you all will forgive me for believing he is more mine than anyone else’s because c’mon, I wrote my dream guy saying my dream things which is the reason I am single and the reason he is mine – my McDreamy was lying on my beloved catwalk dying. Mer is screaming and he is dying. And, before you have me shot up with Thorazine and placed in a strait jacket, yes, I DO I know it’s a only TV show, I’m not insane, but dude…it felt too real. It felt WAY too real.

And here’s the thing you need to know: in my first draft of Part 1, Gary Clark shot Bailey. Bailey. He shot her. And I wrote it and then I couldn’t sleep, for days and days, I could not sleep and I had to remove it from the script. Bailey getting shot was just too much for me. She’s our anchor. She’s the soul. Mer is the heart but Bailey is the soul and so I had to delete it. Because there was no way I could go on if Bailey had a bullet wound. The world would just be too…broken. Derek was devastating enough but both Derek and Bailey…it meant I couldn’t go on.

And then I got to Part 2. I had shattered a world and now I needed to put it back together. Okay…wait:

Here is where many of you are yelling at me, where those of you who weren’t yelling maybe decide to START yelling. Right here. Right now. You want to know why I didn’t do a happy season finale. Why happy things were not happening to happy people in the happy finale. Why I would do what I did to Meredith. You are hollering, “I hate you and your stupid dark and twisty mind, Shonda Rhimes!”

(Except for y’all who roll with the dark and twisties. You don’t hate, you relate, right? Y’all are out there, still with me, right? Still got your dancing shoes and tequila bottles raised high in the air in solidarity, right? Crap. Not even you guys?)

I promise you, there was a reason for this.

Meredith is whole and healed. I love the scene where she tells April that it took her forever to find Derek and then it took her forever to realize she wanted to be his wife, have his kids. That’s a changed woman. The very fact that being pregnant makes her happy makes her a changed woman. And then she lost the baby. It took my breath away. That wince that Meredith gives before she says she is having a miscarriage, it took away my breath. Reed dies and Charles dies and it’s sad. But the miscarriage, that’s devastating. For Mer. For the audience. For everyone. But you don’t know how much you wanted something until you have lost it. You don’t know your true feelings until a thing you have is gone for good. And that’s what I wanted for Mer. I wanted her to realize just HOW BADLY she wanted a baby. Because Mer is me in a lot of ways. And I always thought I did not want a baby. Until I did. And then suddenly a baby was everything. I wanted her to be sure. Absolutely sure. See, she is a character who spends her life trying not to repeat the mistakes of her mother. She is trying to overcome. And so I needed her to be sure. I’ve said that Mer will never have kids but then I started to think of that as a challenge. How do I make Mer TRULY WANT to have kids? And so I told this story. It’s horrible and it’s sad.

It is also what I refer to as the bill. You eat a delicious meal at a delicious restaurant, you get a bill. You buy the expensive bag online, the bill comes due. You want in, you gotta pay. Same with life (or at least life as it plays out in my head). The scales have to be balanced. It’s the hideous game of fate our characters always play. She gets to keep her Derek but the very thing that makes it okay to keep him, that hideous stressful moment where she believes he’s dead? That’s the very thing that makes her lose the baby. The bill was due. And the collection agents came calling. I hate it but it’s the only way I know to do it – let the universe hand Mer a shiny pony and then kick Mer in the face. You don’t get to have everything. There’s always a price.

Cristina. This finale, especially the second half, belongs to Cristina. Owen chooses her, did you see that? Owen, faced with life or death, knows what he wants and what he wants is some Cristina Yang. But more importantly, Cristina truly comes into her own as a heart surgeon. She’s had numerous teachers, all kinds of setbacks but she finally had the right teacher, she had Teddy, and when she says to herself “pig or cow, Cristina” as she stands over Derek’s chest cavity…that was her graduation. When she refuses to stop operating with a gun literally pressed to her head, that was her commencement. Another part of her graduation? The girl who always had a hard time giving of herself emotionally gives like crazy in this episode. She is willing to die to save Derek because she loves Meredith so much and she promised Mer that she would do her very best work. Cristina Yang graduated tonight. Toss your caps in her honor.

Poor sweet Alex. He didn’t have much to say tonight. Because he got shot almost immediately. Which was a difficult choice for me to make. Because I love Alex and he’s so important to the show. You wanna see him TALKING. But he has that incredible moment. Where he’s asking for Izzie. And Lexie’s already said she loves him but it’s so clear that the only person he loves is Isobel Stevens and she’s nowhere to be found. And poor Mark has to watch all of this happening. Now, I will tell you guys this: I’m not so sure that Lexie really loves Alex. I think her realization that Gary Clark is the shooter has her feeling guilty, like Alex getting shot might be her fault. I think up until tonight she’s been walking like a duck. After all, Mer did tell her that her heart lives in her vagina. And her relationship with Alex is all about sex. I think she loves Mark Sloan but I think this Gary Clark thing has confused her. So there is hope. For Lexie and Mark, there is hope. It just may take a while.

Callie and Arizona. Are together! Yay! I don’t like them apart. They are so great as a couple, so funny and sweet and emotional, that keeping them apart was not even an option right now. This baby thing, it is hard. It is an impossible situation. But in the end, they were each willing to give a little. And that means they can make it work. No matter what they end up actually deciding on the baby front. When they kiss at the end, that’s the one bright spot we have to hold on to. They love each other. Nothing else matters.

This was one of my favorite, most painful Bailey stories. For a doctor to have to sit by and wait and watch as someone dies, to not be able to do anything, that is the greatest tragedy. When she pulls Charles onto her lap and tells him he is dying but he won’t die alone…well, there are no words. Because all through the finale, she was doing everything she could until there was nothing more to do. Except sit. And wait.

The Mercy Westers really came into their own tonight. Reed died and Charles died and that was awful but April and Jackson joined the tribe tonight. Mer pulled April in when she takes her hand. April lost her best friend and Mer understands that because she has a best friend of her own. And Jackson…he was Cindy Lou tonight. In the face of everything, it’s his quick thinking that saves the day. Sing, Cindy Lou, sing.

Did you see the Chief take back his hospital tonight? Because that’s what he did. He marched into his hospital and he took it back. He poured out the vodka and took control of his hospital. Except now the hospital’s not a hospital anymore. It’s a crime scene. And that’s not a good thing.

What happens next, in the aftermath of the shooting, is anybody’s guess. Well, not really. Because I know. But I can’t tell you. Until then, I suggest you buy the Season 6 DVD. I had to cut a good 18 minutes out of part 2 of the finale. 18 minutes of incredibly juicy goodness. Callie sings, Lexie gets thrown out of an ambulance, Cristina Yang makes the first cut into Derek’s chest, Bailey gives the Bailey aria of a lifetime. And you can only see it in the super-extended version on the DVD. If I ran the network (and I don’t and, in case he is reading this, let me say that I love my boss Steve McPherson deeply because he is strong and powerful and handsome and very smart) but if I did run the network, I would have put those 18 minutes on TV. But I don’t so the only way to enjoy the juicy 18 minute goodness is on the DVD. Okay?

Now, finally, I want to say this. Michael O’Neil who plays Gary Clark is a kind, sweet, gentle man who abhors violence. This was an emotionally difficult role for him to play. He had to step into the mind of a killer. And he did it with complexity and grace. He made Gary Clark three-dimensional. But we were all clear on one thing: the Gary Clarks of the world are the bad guys. Using a gun and shooting up a place makes you a bad person. I was very concerned that we not glorify the violence in the finale. There’s nothing charming about it. That’s why Reed’s death was done so brutally. I wanted it to not be pretty, not be okay. Because a gun is not the way to solve your problems.

I’ll say it again to make sure you hear me: a gun is not the way to solve your problems.

Have a good summer. We’ll see you in the fall. And thank you. For watching. Even if you are screaming, “What do you have to say for yourself!?” You make this all possible. The gratitude I feel is kinda boundless.

XO,

Shonda

Not Surprised At This, Melrose Place Canceled!

I am a little surprised that ‘Life Unexpected’ was picked up, because after the first couple of episodes it was a little slow, but I still like it, but didn’t know if it was a hit. I hate the opening titles, so I hope they change those! Seriously!

But Melrose was canceled, which makes me sad for friends working on it, but it does NOT surprise me at all. I couldn’t watch it and I love soaps, it just didn’t work.

“Melrose Place is a really good show!” Lelaina Pierce, Reality Bites.

This was the case for a season way back in the 90s, but somethings can not be repeated.

CW Renews ‘One Tree Hill,’ ‘Life Unexpected’; ‘Melrose Place’ Canceled
by Andrew Scott

One Tree HillIt looks like ‘One Tree Hill’ will live on for another season

According to the Live Feed, the CW gave the longrunning series a surprise renewal order today, while also picking up the low-rated freshman dramedy ‘Life Unexpected.’

This will mark ‘One Tree Hill’s’ eighth season on the air.

Meanwhile, the CW also made room for two newbie series. First up is ‘Nikita,’ starring Maggie Q as a rogue assassin.

Also getting picked up today: ‘Hellcats,’ a new series about a competitive cheerleading squad at a Southern university. Ashley Tisdale of ‘High School Musical’ fame stars alongside singer-actress Aly Michalka.

And now for the bad news: The CW has decided not to renew its ‘Melrose Place’ reboot for a second season, according to Variety. ‘Merlose’ is the network’s only scripted series not returning next season.

Apparently, Heather Locklear can’t save everything.