And I thought it was pretty cool that Nebraska produced financial guru Warren Buffett, screenwriter Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election), and actor Marlon Brando, but now I’ve learned that ScriptGirl was born and partially raised in Nebraska (and has strong enough ties there to spend Thanksgiving in the Cornhusker state this year). And on top of that [...]
Archive for November, 2009
ScriptGirl from Iowa & Nebraska
Posted in Screenwriting Biz, tagged Alexander Payne., Bellview, Election, Iowa, Jimmy Buffet, Marlon Brando, Nebraska, omaha, Script magazine, Scriptgirl., Sideways, University of Iowa, Warren Buffett on November 30, 2009 | 5 Comments »
Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame’s Iowa Touch
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged B.B. King, Billy Joel, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Gary Kelley, HBO, Jackson Brown, James Taylor, John Fogerty, Madison Square Gareden, Rolling Stone, Simon & Garfunkel, Smokey Robinson, Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame, Stevie Wonder, Sting, U2 on November 29, 2009 | 2 Comments »
“A historic, music-affirming extravaganza. Hail, hail rock ‘n’ roll.”
USATODAY.com
Tonight HBO will broadcast the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert that was taped back in October. The concert features a solid line-up of Bruce Springsteen, Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, U2, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Brown, James Taylor, Smokey Robinson, [...]
E.T. was from Youngstown (Kinda)
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged chris Columbus, E.T., Little People of America, Ohio, Pat Bilon, Paula Wagner, Roma Sochan Hadzewycz, Star Wars, Steven Spielberg, The Extra-Terrestria, Youngstown on November 28, 2009 | 1 Comment »
It’s funny when you pick an area to focus on what you can uncover.
First I learned that screenwriter/producer/director Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Night at the Museum, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) was from the Youngstown, Ohio area.
Then I learned that the producer Paula Wagner (Mission Impossible, Vanilla Sky, Valkyrie) was born and raised in [...]
Journey to Nowhere
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Aaron J. Wiederspahn, Bruce Springsteen, Dale Maharidge, David Strathairn, Denison, either/or films, Finding Someplace Like America, Iowa: Searching for the Soul of America Through the Secrets of a Midwest Town., Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass, Michael Williamson, The Ghost of Tom Joad, The Sensation of Sight on November 27, 2009 | 4 Comments »
The book that inspired Bruce Springsteen to write the song Youngstown on his The Ghost of Tom Joad album is Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass. The book was written by Dale Maharidge with photography by Michael Williamson. The book was out of print when the album came out in 1995, but [...]
Youngstown’s Hollywood Connection
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Iowa, Peter Hedges, Pieces of April, Des Moines, You Tube, Demi Moore, Ohio, Home Alone, Mary Wells, Youngstown, The Last Samurai, Vanilla Sky, Mission Impossible, Paula Wagner, Paula Kaufman, Youngstown State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Val Kilmer and Oliver Stone., chris Columbus, Goonies, Chestnut Ridge Productions, Miss Saigon, Mike Gaunter, Steel Town on November 26, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Happy Thanksgiving.
Before I take a circuitous route to point out yet one more connection between Youngstown and Hollywood let me first thank everyone for reading this screenwriting blog as it’s given me much encouragement in my quest to post daily. It’s not easy to write something original daily and finding odd connections really is a [...]
Son of a Son of a Steelworker
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged NFL, USA Today, Toledo, Ohio, The Shawshank Redemption, Gran Torino, Ohio St. University, Mr. Football, Mansfield, Jim Tressel, Urban Myers, Bob Stoops, mafia, Zippo lighter, Younsgtown Sheet & Tube, Yellow Creek on November 25, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Do you have an idea bank? A file or notebook full of articles and ideas that you’d like to explore and develop further? I have several notebooks and one of them I stumbled upon yesterday happens to tie in directly with the last couple posts on Youngstown, Ohio.
It was an article on a guy named [...]
Screenwriting Quote of the Day #116 (Chris Columbus)
Posted in Screenwriting Quotes, tagged Ohio, John Hughes, Mrs. Doubtfire, Daryl Hannah, Home Alone, Youngstown, John F. Kennedy High School., Champion, James Foley, Aidan Quinn, Gremlins, The Goonies, Harry Potter, DGA Magazine January 2003, Only the Lonely on November 24, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Since I agree that creativity is simply connecting influences (not my phrase) today’s post is a good example of that. A few days ago I wrote about writer/director John Hughes and yesterday I wrote about Youngstown, Ohio. In doing that research I stumbled upon a connection between the two—Home Alone.
That little $15 million film that [...]
From Poland, Ohio to a 155-foot Yacht
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Wells, Wells Rich Green (WRG), Bruce Spingsteen, Youngstown, Youngtown Sheet & Tube, Boca Ciega Bay, Ohio State Univesity, Warner Bros., Springfield-Township High School, Jack Warner on November 23, 2009 | 2 Comments »
“Them smokestacks reachin’ like the arms of God
Into a beautiful sky of soot and clay.”
Bruce Springsteen
Youngstown
I don’t know if it’s common for kids growing up in Poland, Ohio to dream about living aboard a yacht someday, but that’s the short life story of Mary Wells.
When I was a kid I first learned about Poland, Ohio [...]
Before John Hughes was John Hughes (part 3)
Posted in Screenwriters on November 22, 2009 | 1 Comment »
“Kids are smart enough to know that most teenage movies are just exploiting them. They’ll respond to a film about teenagers as people. [My] movies are about the beauty of just growing up. I think teenage girls are especially ready for this kind of movie, after being grossed out by all the sex and violence in [...]
Before John Hughes was John Hughes (part 2)
Posted in Screenwriters, tagged John Hughes, Leo Burnett, Robert Nolan on November 21, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Using advertising as a stepping stone to screenwriting has been going on for decades. Basically all writers need time to develop their craft, pay the bills, and meet people. The five years that John Hughes spent in advertising hit all those goals. And according to Robert Nolan who hired him at Leo Burnett, Hughes didn’t [...]
-
Recent Posts
Pages
Categories
-
-
-
Top Posts
- How Much Do Screenwriters Make?
- Mr. Fox, Tiger & Glenn Close (part 1)
- Screenwriting and Three Cups of Tea
- Mr. Fox, Tiger & Glenn Close (part 2)
- Average Length of a Movie Scene (tip #21)
- Screenwriting Jamaican-Olympic Style
- Descriptive Writing- Pt 3, Characters (tip #24)
- Grey Gardens, Emmys & Michael Sucsy
- Screenwriting Quote of the Day #110 (Paul Haggis)
- Dreams on Spec (part 2)
Archives
Meta
Screenwriting from Iowa- Mr. Fox, Tiger & Glenn Close (part 2)
- Mr. Fox, Tiger & Glenn Close (part 1)
- The Road Trip Behind “Everybody’s Fine”
- Screenwriting Quote of the Day #117 (Jason Reitman)
- Dreams on Spec (part 3)
- Dreams on Spec (part 2)
- Dreams on Spec (part 1)
- ScriptGirl from Iowa & Nebraska
- Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame’s Iowa Touch
- E.T. was from Youngstown (Kinda)
Email Subscription
