First Word

Some characters we love. We even love to hate certain villains. Some characters are murky, and we don't know if we're supposed to love them, hate them, or feel ambiguous toward them. I believe when you create emotionally ambiguous characters that the audience is left to ponder their feelings about him or her, you have actually created a masterpiece. Most people are not black and white -- they're not all good or bad but shades of gray. As a writer when you've created a character that has so many shades and depth, it's not surprising if his or relationship to the audience becomes unclear. Do realize, though, if you create a completely unlikeable character who is supposed to be the protagonist in your story, you run the risk of losing your audience's rooting value altogether. As a writer you walk a fine line here. So, I'm going to go over the characters I've either loved, hated or just didn't know how to feel about. Bill Compton in True Blood -- comp...

The discussion about the likable or unlikable character sparked some responses on Tumblr particularly in reference to Justine in the movie Melancholia (Justine suffered severe depression and as a result did some pretty unlikable things). I was considering the discussion that suggested that her depression and behavior should be understandable since she was sick. I guess the discussion (for me) needed to veer toward whether or not you can relate to a character enough to sympathize with him or her. In Justine's case, I could not relate to her enough to understand what I felt was "unlikable" behavior. When I was younger I had my own bout with depression (certainly not as severe as Justine's case) but even while I spent a number of days crawled up in bed, I didn't do things to hurt others or lash out in passive-aggressive ways (e.g., her sex on the golf-course moment). Hence, I could not relate to her. Watching her behavior was more like watching someone through a len...

We went and saw the wonderful and sad movie The Descendants with George Clooney that did not do well at the box office. It went out in limited release, and it was a very well acted and well done drama. When a friend of mine noted how great the movie was and how its box office receipts were weak, I said, "That's because it's not for 12-year-old boys." Did you know the core movie-going audience consists of mostly 12-year-old boys? So when you see a movie like Battle Ship that comes out May 18, and you think it looks like another version of Transformers only out out to sea; it's because of what I just said. Movies like Battle Ship or Transformers are what they call in the industry popcorn flicks. In the most literal sense of the word, these movies "sell popcorn" and they pander to a young audience. While the rest of us adults grumble about this reality and suggest there are no good grown-up movies out there, it's because we tend to stay home or wat...

I always check my statistics on Blogger. I like to know what my readers want to read as opposed to what I assume they want to read. To my chagrin, yesterday's blog about Alexander Skarsgård's facial hair soared up the statistical chart. No! No! No! Really people! Do you have to constantly blow me away with what you want to know or read about? No wonder the tabloids are making a bundle. I have such high aspirations for the reading public's taste. I blog about important topics like books, writing, public relations, business marketing, and I get a luke warm response. Heck! I even blog about Brea's abundant sex life in my book California Girl Chronicles and yet you all would much rather read about Skarsgård's new beard!! I am in awe! I bet I could post a picture of a naked girl -- and this blog about facial hair would still outperform even a naked picture. Well, all right then. For you Skarsgård fans, I get your interest (sort of), but I've even blogged about his p...

I know The Secret is passé. Fad over, right? Wrong. The Laws of Attraction are always at work and when you learn to use them, you will be nothing short of amazed at the results. Sonja Fisher, my friend and actress, and I are working on several different angles to move two critical projects forward -- Beauty School , my comedic script, and California Girl Chronicles , my new book series about the romantic misadventures of young woman trying to break into Hollywood as a screenwriter. Both projects are moving forward very nicely. Remember, your goals are a part of a journey, and it's a process to achieve your goals, as I have been taught be the amazing and great Wayne Kurtz, author of Beyond the Iron . Hey, if the man can participate in an ultra-deca triathlon, he knows what he's talking about. Well, Sonja and I have been pursuing some key avenues to get the film and book produced. We're making some amazing strides each and every day. One of our goals is to attach my favorite...

As a writer, I always watch movies from that perspective. I watched the new movie  Melancholia last night, which is the newly released film by Lars von Trier, the outspoken writer and director. The beginning of the film was a beautiful surreal exploration of the character and situation in images. Strangely enough it reminded me of the beginning of A Space Odyssey  by Stanley Kubrick what with the music and processional of images. I felt like I had walked into a surrealist museum. I haven't thought of surrealism in years, but I used to have a Salvadore Dali poster hanging in my cubbie when I worked in corporate. It was my small rebellious artistic statement about how much I hated being in "drone" world, which thankfully I am no longer. The movie is an usual story about the end of the world told in parts. Part I: Justine is about her descent into depression on her wedding day. I was intrigued. The darker she got, the more unlikeable she became as a heroine in the story, wh...