Free Screening: "The Battle Over Citizen Kane"

Citizen Kane is on many people's list of Top 10 movies, and even if it's not on yours, chances are good that you've seen it, and probably more than once. If it's been too long since you've seen it on a big screen, LACMA is providing the opportunity to view it as it should be viewed this November 29th, at 7:30PM. Prior to the showing of Citizen Kane they are offering a free screening of the documentary: The Battle Over Citizen Kane at 5:00PM. This Academy Award-nominated documentary tracks Citizen Kane's passage from script stage, through early previews (Hedda Hopper called it "a vicious and irresponsible attack on a great man") up to its release and devastating aftermath, and seems like something no movie buff would want to miss.

Theater for the Quick Minded

Whether you suffer from ADD (don't we all on some level?) or can concentrate for hours, or if you just need a break from all that pre-Halloween candy you've been chowing down on, the folks at ACTober Fest have put together two weekends of 10 minute plays around town that sound like they might be fun to check out, and feature several Los Angeles based writers. If you go, drop us a comment and let us know how you liked them.

Group A (Oct. 17- 19):

Carwash, or in this town, you are what you drive by Stephanie Hutchinson (Los Angeles, CA)

Directed by Wynn Marlow

Saw what you did by Kyndall Amber Brown (Washington DC) - Youth

Mountain Road by Jan Michael Alejandro (Los Angeles, CA)

Directed by Lana Ford

Call me Comrade by Ross Peter Nelson (Sunnyvale, CA)

Directed by Karanai Ravenscroft

Life is just a bowl of cellos by Ann L. Gibbs (Los Angeles, CA)

Directed by Amanda Korpitz

Bed Scene by John A. Donnelly (Portland, OR)

Directed by Kristina Lloyd

O’Henry’s Shoe by Mark Saunders (Hillsboro, OR)

Directed by Diane Christiansen

Elevator by Natasha Yim (Ukiah, Ca)

Directed by David Robinson

Group B (Oct.24 - 26):

x

A Change of Plan by Dennis Jones (Powhatan, VA)

Directed by Samantha Brown

The Appointment by Jordan T. Maxwell (Los Angeles, CA)

Directed by Jonathan Hunt

Sea of Bitterness by Lauren O’Connor (Trussville, AL)

Directed by Pavel Cerny

The Basic 7 by Mark Troy (Burbank, CA)

Directed by Sal Romeo

Autodigesting by Bonnie Lake (Newburyport, MA)

Directed by Kaz Matamura

Somewhere between the Sky and the Sea by Alex Broun (Australia)

Directed by Steve Hibbert

War Letters by Umesh Yogesh Patel (Bogart, GA)

Directed by John Szura

Climb the smallest Mountain by Michael Gordon Shapiro (Los Angeles, CA) Musical

Directed by Derrel Maury

Los Angeles Theater Women's Festival

The Los Angeles Theater Women's Festival is holding their Sixteenth Annual Festival March 26 through 29, 2009, and they have extended the deadline for video submissions until September 30th, 2008. They are seeking female solo performers of all ethnicities and ages with original performance pieces: Actors, performance artists, dancers, comedians, storytellers, singers and performance poets from throughout the world. Send them a videotape (cued to a 10-minute viewing segment), showing the exact performance under consideration for the Festival.
Send your video, (along with a $35 submission fee), and a self-addressed stamped envelope for returns to: Los Angeles Women's Theater Festival, 11411 Cumpston Ave. Suite 204, No. Hollywood, CA 91601. Include a photograph, resume, and other supporting materials, as well as a letter of introduction describing your work. Performers will be paid! If you are interested, download an application at www.lawtf.com. If you have questions, call them at (818) 760-0408, or email lawtfspotlight(at)yahoo(dot)com

Writer's Faire '08 ~

If you enjoy being surrounded by hundreds of fellow-writers who are interested in learning more about perfecting their craft, this Sunday's free UCLA Extension Writer's Faire, an annual gathering of the writer's community, is just the thing for you! Featuring 24 mini-panels that will focus on every aspect of writing, from "Getting Started as a Writer" (at 11:00 AM) through "Living Your Live as a Writer" (at 3:00 PM), this festive occasion will give you the opportunity to explore many different realms of writing. Screenwriting, fiction writing, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, writing for the youth market, getting published, getting produced, getting started, getting into an MFA program, getting to the heart of a story – all will be explored at the Faire! Six panels will be run simultaneously in six different classrooms, so you are sure to find discussions that will interest you! Seating is first-come, first-served, so arrive early to get a prime spot. After the panels, you can talk with the instructors in the courtyard, get writing advice, and have them sign a favorite book (their publications will also be available). This is also a great opportunity to meet and network with other writers and make new friends!

How to Pitch an Idea to Hollywood

This morning's Los Angeles Times Magazine has a very informative story written by none other than Michael Wright himself (V.P. at Turner) about how to pitch show ideas to networks. His main point? Skip the gimmicks, remember you are selling to a buyer who reps a certain brand, go straight for the why-this-works-for-your-brand sell and then back it up with the goods and talent to actually make your project happen. Well, with one caveat. Sometimes gimmicks do work as he reveals at the end of his article. So let's see... follow the rules only to find the right moment to break them? It's so much more fun to just break the rules right out of the gate, though...

Read the article.

Show and Tell

Telling it like it is, Show and Tell is a great little evening of original, read personal essay work. It's a regular monthly show at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater in Hollywood. They accept submissions, and the quality of performance/writers is consistently excellent, so even if you're not selected to read, it's still worth, well, seeing and hearing.

Skir-Crazy

The Skirball Cultural Center, perched on Mulholland and Sepulveda, almost next to the Getty, is full of unexpected and great activities, lectures, exhibits, and film screenings. Whether it's a screening of "Rebel Without A Cause," a book group intriguingly entitled "Around the World in Five Books", the acclaimed Bob Dylan exhibit "Bob Dylan's American Journey" (complete with the ability to play along with Dylan!), a lecture and q&a on the recent Hollywood Writer's Strike, courses on mysitcism in contemporary art, or theater performances, the Skirball is a treasure trove of artistic inspiration.

High Arts (on a writerly salary!)

Looking for something different from the usual dinner and a movie? Two great ticket services are dedicated to getting people out to live events for as close to the price of a movie ticket as possible: Goldstar and StubDog. Whether it's to live jazz, the hot new play at the Taper, a touring dance troupe, small theater or comedy improv, they offer tickets from about half price all the way to downright free. The seats are good seats, and the prices unbeatable. Goldstar offers weekly emails, alerting you to a thorough listing of popular and unusual live events. StubDog lets you browse by category -- family events, theater, music, art.

With either of these two services, there's now a very affordable way to keep your creative energies well fed.

Live and In Person

UCLA Live's Spoken Word series is a real chance to hear writers talk about their writing. Single event tickets are now on sale for evenings with such luminaries as Anne Lamott and David Sedaris. Held in UCLA's Royce Hall, these evenings include readings, conversation, and question and answer sessions with the writers.

Be warned, these events often sell out, so don't wait until the last minute.

Free Movie Screening!

For foreign film aficionados, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will be showing a series of Korean director Lee Chang-dong's films from Thursday, January 3rd, to Saturday, January 5th. His debut film, "Green Fish," which follows a young man who returns home from military service and joins a criminal gang, screens at 5:00 PM on January 5th, and admission is free! Just click on the link, and scroll down for details.

Art Noir Exhibit ~ October 17 to November 17

"Dark Art is indeed enlightening," and, if you're inclined toward the wicked, the brazen, and the satirical, there's a special treat in store for you at the NoHo Gallery LA. An exhibit, kicking off with a free Meet The Artist reception, starts this Wednesday evening. The gallery is located in the Lankershim Arts Center at 5801 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, and there is plenty of free parking available.

Open Mic Every Wednesday Evening ~

If you're inclined toward being on stage to share your work with a live audience, and/or enjoy being there while others do so, then you're sure to enjoy Open Mic Wednesdays at Sunset Junction in Silver Lake. Sign-ups are from 7:30 - 7:45 for a show-time of 8:00. The $3.00 cover charge includes a free drink (of the same or less value), and all proceeds go to a good cause: The Sunset Junction Youth Program. Poetry and comedy performers get 5 minutes of stage time, while musical acts can play 2 songs.

What's the Story? @ Cafe Metropol Tuesday, September 25

This just in from Look LA:

What's the Story? @ Cafe Metropol Tuesday, September 25
Come hear the bold, brave and often hilarious voices of the writer-performers of
What's the Story? Workshop. Originally founded as a solo performance workshop,
What's the Story? has expanded to include people writing for the stage, for the
screen, and for the page. You never know what you'll hear, but we promise a
fascinating mix, fabulous food and drink, and interesting folks.
The monthly Tuesday evenings at Metropol are our opportunity to see how our work
lands with you, our friendly invited audience. Without you, we have no idea what we
are writing. So we invite you to join us every month, and watch our work grow, find
out what happens next.
SEPTEMBER READERS
Jake Arnette • Melissa Bales • Trey Burnette · Marc Goldstein
Stephen Grynberg · Stephanie Stephenson • Karen Taback
Amber Willat • & friends
WHAT'S THE STORY? @ CAFE METROPOL
923 East Third Street LA 90013
Reservations: 213-613-1537
Information: 310-450-1312
whatsthestoryLA.com
Enjoy dinner and drinks and Tuesday half-price appetizers at 7pm.
The show starts promptly at 8pm.
Save the dates this fall @ Metropol
Tuesdays · September 25 · October 23 • November 27

Film Independent 2007 Sloan Producers Lab Grant

This just in from Film Independent:
2007 Producers Lab and $25,000 Sloan Producers Grant

Film Independent is accepting submissions for its annual Producers Lab—an intensive program designed to help independent producers learn how to think strategically about their projects and come up with an organized plan for getting their films made.

The new Sloan Producers Grant gives a selected producer admission to the Producers Lab, a $25,000 development grant, and year-round support from Film Independent. To be eligible for the Sloan Grant, the applicant must be attached as producer to the script with which they are applying and the screenplay should have a scientific, mathematical, and/or technological theme and storyline or have a leading character who is a scientist, engineer, or mathematician.

Late deadline: August 24, 2007 (postmarked)
Sloan Grant deadline: August 28, 2007 (postmarked