Posted: September 1, 2016 | Author: Donald | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Alfred Molina, Arturo Toscanini, Catherine Frot, Christian McKay, Earl Wilson, Florence Foster Jenkins, Greg Kinnear, Hugh Grant, Ira Sachs, John Kavanagh, John Sessions, Little Men, Marguerite, Mauricio Zacharias, Meryl Streep, Michael Barbieri, Nicholas Martin, Simon Helberg, Stephen Fears, Theo Taplitz | 2 Comments »
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First, a word from our sponsors: I wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed to our Indiegogo campaign for 15 Conversations in 10 Minutes. We did very well due to you folks. For those who weren’t able to give, keep us in your thoughts. And if you are able to contribute in the future, contact me and I’ll tell you how. I will even honor the perks on the original campaign.
I am now offering a new consultation service: so much emphasis has been given lately to the importance of the opening of your screenplay, I now offer coverage for the first twenty pages at the cost of $20.00. For those who don’t want to have full coverage on their screenplay at this time, but want to know how well their script is working with the opening pages, this is perfect for you. I’ll help you not lose the reader on page one.
Ever wonder what a reader for a contest or agency thinks when he reads your screenplay? FosCheck out my new e-book published on Amazon: Rantings and Ravings of a Screenplay Reader, including my series of essays, What I Learned Reading for Contests This Year, and my film reviews of 2013. Only $2.99. http://ow.ly/xN31r
and check out my Script Consultation Services: http://ow.ly/HPxKE
Tourist: How do I get to Carnegie Hall?
Taxi Driver: Practice, son, practice.
Or you can go the way of Florence Foster Jenkins and have enough money to rent the hall oneself.
In the 1960’s, a Margaret Dumontenesque like singer going by the name of Mrs. Miller become a flavor of the month sensation by singing pop songs like Downtown in an operatic off key shrill. I have a memory of Mrs. Miller from my youth. I did wonder at the time whether she knew she was being laughed at, not with. Apparently she had some idea, but that didn’t stop her from recording.
Such a character appears in pop culture every once in a while (anyone have a painting of a poor orphaned waif with saucer eyes?). And now a new movie has been made about a similar creature who shared her voice during the days leading up to World War II.
The main difference is that Florence Foster Jenkins made Mrs. Miller sound like Leontyne Price. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: March 30, 2016 | Author: Donald | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 45 Years, Bach, Catherine Frot, Cesar Award, Florence Foster Jenkins, Grandma, Grey Gardens, Groucho Marx, Hello My Name is Doris, Laura Turreso, Marcia Romano, Margaret Dumont, Marguerite, Marianne Sagebrecht, Max Greenfield, Meryl Streep, Michael Showalter, Percy Adlon, Peter Gallagher, Sally Field, See You in My Dreams, Stephen Root, Sugarbaby, The Room, Tommy Wiseau, Tyne Daly, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Xavier Giannoli | 1,371 Comments »
First, a word from our sponsors: I am now offering a new service: so much emphasis has been given lately to the importance of the opening of your screenplay, I now offer coverage for the first twenty pages at the cost of $20.00. For those who don’t want to have full coverage on their screenplay at this time, but want to know how well their script is working with the opening pages, this is perfect for you. I’ll help you not lose the reader on page one.
Ever wonder what a reader for a contest or agency thinks when he reads your screenplay? Check out my new e-book published on Amazon: Rantings and Ravings of a Screenplay Reader, including my series of essays, What I Learned Reading for Contests This Year, and my film reviews of 2013. Only $2.99. http://ow.ly/xN31r
and check out my Script Consultation Services: http://ow.ly/HPxKE
Warning: SPOILERS
When Tommy Wiseau released his film The Room, it was so awful that it inadvertently became a cult hit, especially on the late night circuit. But people often wondered whether the filmmaker knew just how execrable his movie really was.
I thought of that as I watched Marguerite, the new French film from writers Xavier Giannoli (who also directed) and Marcia Romano. It’s a story about a patroness of the arts who gave recitals in her home to raise money for various charities. When all the other performers had rendered their absolutely ravishing arias and duets, Marguerite would then conclude the evening by singing herself. And out of her well meaning mouth came notes so awful, it made fingernails on a blackboard sound like one of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto.
