October 17, 2006 Beverly Hills (CA) – An event to take note of was the unspooling of the Derrick Brothers' latest cinematic creation, F*CKYOU, PAY ME -- a "take that" ScifFi satire aimed at the ever-increasing debt load that most Americans obnoxiously suffer under. The snarky and prescient film depicts a near-future in which "Patriot Act VII" has made excessive consumer debt a federal felony & deputized a special law enforcement unit (the Debt Enforcement Organization) to hunt down and arrest credit offenders, such as those behind on their student loans, their cellphone bills or just living beyond their means and decreasing their FICO score. A glimpse into the world to come? Could be!
 
In attendance for the Derrick Brothers' piece of short filmic fiction was four-time Olympian Carl Lewis (who starred in the film),versatile thespian Leonard Roberts (who many of you know from DRUMLINE and NBC's new hot drama "Heroes"; he plays D.L., Ali Larter's on-the-lamb ex with the ability to be intangible), Nick Endres, a newcomer to Hollywood as this was his first film – ever; and the ever-talented Diahnna Nicole Baxter. Witty comedy writer Alessia Costantini made an appearance, along with about-to-break singer/songwriter Jamila Caro, and UMECers Aaron Celious, Aleesa Adams and Zach Evans.

Internet entertainment news group, MakeAHollywoodMovie.com chronicled the Heineken and Hypnotiq sponsored event.

Ha ha ha – I always wanted to write an AP style, teletype blurb about what's what in Hollywood, and that was an attempt (although it might have been a little soft). I meant to post this a while ago and I know I posted a blog entry detailing the date & time ofscreening, but maybe the vast majority of you didn't see that. Which makes me wonder how many people actually read this thing. For those of you who didn't see the short, we entered it into several upcoming film festivals, and Jacques invited us to submit for next year's UMEC Film Festival – so you'll get to see it, eventually. Funny thing was MakeAHollywoodMovie.com, because I don't know what that website really does; it was good press though and you can't shake a stick a good press. I think someone fromWireImage was there, too, 'cause this one photographer wanted pictures and none of the principles involved in the event knew the guy, and he did have a press badge…

All in all it was a good screening,maybe 200 people showed up through out the night. You have to appreciate and be grateful that, because shorts can be so hit or miss and everyone knows that so they're taking a big chance (with their time) to come check out something that nobody knew anything about.

In other news, I've been radically busy – AND NOT GETTING PAID FOR ANY OF IT. It's one of the things about working as a creative player in this town that hamstrings the way you can operate on your way to stardom. It's one of the things that can make -- whatever your individual pursuit out on the Left Coast is -- more trouble than it needs to be; lack of income for the hard work you do. It's no great revelation that creative work IS draining, because it drains your emotions as well as any physical and spiritual debt you incur to create work.  

Any large payday that you get isn't as huge as you want it to be when it's all said and done – all the people who have their hooks in you take what's theirs and you're left with a check that makes you go, "I hought I was getting a new car?" The first thing we did when we were close to closing our first deal with Fox TV was set up an S Corp. Don't be fooled into thinking you should establish an LLC as you'll be paying more in taxes, contributions and fees come April 15th. The beauty of a corporate entity receiving all the money – first – is that you get to dole out the 10% fees to those who (may or may not) deserve it. Not to mention being able to write-off those "business expenses" along with a whole lot of other things you wouldn't think about, but are legitimate for what we do. 

You might be saying to yourself, "well, if I'm not making six figures then why pay that big set-up cost and worry about all that?" For a few reasons, one it takes a while to set up a company (you gotta do a name search statewide and nationally, you gotta file with the IRS for a tax ID and you gotta send a bunch of paperwork to the Secretary of State all of which might take 4 to 6 weeks to cycle through the system) and you don't want to wait to play with that check from NBC. Also any bank won't cash that check until all your ducks are in a row with that new company AND the bank does its own fact-checking. Second, you're probably going to be taxed at the maximum tax bracket; yeah, that's right at 40%! A friend of mine got a writing deal and the commencement check bumped him into the 40% bracket, and he was an assistant at the time; meaning -- 10% from agent, 10% from manager, plus legal fees on top of the 40% was reduced from his check, so he didn't bank money like he was cruising around Park Place and Boardwalk, even though it was a low six-figure deal. And you can't decide to change who/what receives the subsequent payment. So he had to wait until the following June (maybe 10 months later) to see the refund check from Uncle Sam. Thirdly, you want to control your money, because you sacrificed a lot personally and spiritually to get that cash, why are you letting your agent or manager give you a check!?!? You write them their checks... they are your employees after all. Although, you wouldn't always think that the way they behave and twist your arm you to treat them in order for them to work for you and take your money at theend of the day.  

Once you have all that worked out, the whole thing comes down to: what is your lifestyle going to be between gigs or between the dreaded reading period. What's the "reading period" you ask? Good question, when you write a script the money is broken up so that you don't flake and bounce with all that cash. You might get roughly 1/2 by the time you turn in the first draft. Then you have to wait until the studio execs, producersand whoever else is involved to read that draft – the reading period, it's usually 8 to 10 weeks – before they give you notes and commenceyou on the 2nd draft; at which time you get your next… 1/4.

That is unless they HATE your first draft and bump you off the project! I've seen it, it ain't pretty and I thank the cinema gods that has never happened to us. Imagine, you thought you were getting six figures and now you might only get less than half!!! Do I really need to tell you to knock it outof the park, though?  

The time between gigs is THE time to work on what you want to do, that project that you never thought you would have enough time to do because you've been play-acting as the driver to one of the stars on the latest Brian de Palma movie. However, the thing to do is to spend your money as if you were still working that annoying day job, only now your office is the computer that's a few feet from your TV that you maybe spend 45 minutes a night on cranking out a few interesting dialogue exchanges a couple nights a week on that super great idea that replenishes your inner fortitude (that gets worn down from fighting the fight). Or maybe you have that short film that you've been wanting to shoot, well do it on HDV (those cameras are cheap now) 'cause you have the time to properly do prepro to make a shoestring budgeted film look great!  

Then when the next deal comes in (big or small), that's when you can act crazy (well, semi-crazy) and fly to… I don't know fly down to Mexico's Sea of Cortez for a 4-day weekend with your significant other (I've always hated that phrase) and party your ass off. That's sounds fun, doesn't it? 'Cause when you come back, it's back to the grind,the daily, hourly, secondly grind that sucks up all the moister in your face…  

If you've ever had a chance to read Nathaniel West or Michael Tolkin, then you've been a mind's eye witness to the fact that Hollywood is a dreamland distorted by darkness, a darkness that's been underwritten by folly and where the suits – not the lunatics – run the politically dangerous asylum with a biting ferocity that can send you down a darkhole quicker than you can imagine.

How do you stay afloat? Manage the euphoria that comes with the payday for doing what you absolutely love (above all things, but sex) and be extra careful who you step on (i.e. no one, if you can help it, butwho can?). 

You know it's never fails that I feel or sound a little bitter at the end of the year, because for some reason I get deluged with project ideas around Halloween (we have 5 new ones in the works!!!), and I know it's rare to get them seriously considered until after Martin Luther King Day…

The end of the year gives you a chance to relax, recharge and review, because it's starting all over again in about 6 weeks.That's my peace in this piece.

 Oh... only got like three responses to my last question, "what are your Top 5 Films in the Last 5 Years" that's totally unacceptable. Completely! I mean, do you even bother to think about that? Or does it only matter what are you top 5 films for any given year, and only around Awards Season? You have 5 Favorite Novels, Paintings, Songs and Sex Positions, right? So again, what are yor Top 5 Films From The Last 5 Years?