Extra Criticum

Why These Walls Can Talk: "Cave of Forgotten Dreams, 3-D"

I saw Werner Herzog's documentary "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" last night in Burbank.  In short: GO!  And see it in 3-D.

3-D, you say?  Yes, 3-D.  Who knew Herzog would thrive in a medium that gave us "Creature of the Black Lagoon" and "JAW 3-D"?  (Though I am grateful that he didn't make "Grizzly Man" in more than two dimensions.)

Why "40 is Fantastic" ("40 Days of Screenplays", that is). And "The Matrix."

For those of you with a screenwriting bent... I've just stumbled on something fantastic: "40 DAYS OF SCREENPLAYS", on Scott Myers' site, "Go Into the Story."  Boy, I could get into THIS!

The idea: read and analyze one screenplay a day for 40 Days. I joined the group already in progress on Day 8 (yesterday: "Dead Poet's Society") and just posted a comment on Day 9 ("The Matrix.") Oh, and they offer links to pdfs of the screenplays themselves, so it's a snap to download 'em and delve into 'em.

Zadie, Zadie, Grumpy Lady: A Response to "Invaluable Writing Advice"

So I received something via ye olde email machine that I can’t quite get out of my head.  It’s an email from Gotham Writers’ Workshop: writing advice from Zadie Smith – Zadie Smith!  Of “White Teeth” fame!  Zadie Smith’s a great writer! And famous!  And successful!  Her advice must be great, right? Well, not so much.  I’m going to reprint her advice here, and then make a few notes of my own.

Two Cool Events!

Hi all!  Please check out these two exciting events.  (And tickets WILL sell out, especially for Puppet Playlist. So please get your tickets early!)

If you're around, please join me in person:
I'll be in Boston to see "The Crocodile Boy Project" on Saturday and Sunday, Jan 30-31... 

Then I'll be performing in NYC's Puppet Playlist alongside some of the finest puppeteers I know: Feb 5 and Feb 7.  Details follow!

"Daily Ed": My 'Play a Day' Project!

Happy 2010! This year, please join me online for my latest adventure: I’m writing a short play every day - and posting each and every one of them on this here blog thingie: www.edvalentine.blogspot.com

Why "Mr. Fox" Really is Fantastic

If you know that I love puppetry, Roald Dahl’s writing, and stop motion animation, you might think that I’d be an easy mark for “The Fantastic Mr. Fox.”  But in truth, after I saw a preview and a few commercials I wasn’t sold.  The stop-motion looked herky-jerky - disturbing.  The characters, animals all, looked scary and feral, with beady little eyes and sharp little teeth. 

Why "Nine" is a 10.

L to R: The three Guidos: Daniel Day Lewis, Raul Julia, Marcello Mastroianni

Finally saw “Nine” yesterday.  I almost didn’t bother, after all the critical sniping.  (Seriously: what IS it with you critics?  Do you hate the musical form?  Or are you just trying to take down Rob Marshall on his sophomore movie musical?  You slammed Marshall for repeating himself - but there’s a difference between repeating yourself and developing a style.)

My first "Fairly OddParents" episode, Friday night on Nickelodeon!

Dear friends - Some exciting news: my very first "Fairly OddParents" episode, "Fly Boy," premieres this week!  It's showing on Nickelodeon this coming Friday night, August 14.  Nickelodeon's broadcasting it in L.A. at 6 PM, but please check your local listings to find out when it's showing in your area.

"Fly Boy" was sneak-previewed to a large and wildly appreciative audience at Comic-Con this year, and I'm now delighted to have the chance to share it with you.  I'm really proud of the episode, so I hope you can tune in and check out my TV writing debut.

All the best,
Ed

"The Way In": In Praise of Muppets.

How did I get here?  What was my “Way In” to theater and TV?  Simple: the puppets made me do it.

No, don’t run away.  I’m serious.  The reason I’m involved with theater or TV in the first place is because of… puppets. 

See, at an early age, my mom plunked me down in front of the TV and I watched things like Bugs Bunny, and Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, Underdog, Rocky and Bullwinkle and The Flintstones (also Nixon’s resignation – but that’s another story).  I loved TV, and I loved all those shows.  But back then my favorite show, my very favorite show of all… was Sesame Street. 

3-of-a-Kind in North Hollywood presents...

I'm delighted to report that North Hollywood's own 3-of-a-Kind Theater Company is producing

• My short play:"SNOW," in a production directed by Tony Christopher.

At a polar bear cage in a big city park… at the site of an unspeakable tragedy… a Mayor, a Cardinal, a Socialite, a Reporter, and an Activist gather to put their self-serving spin on events. But when a grieving mother finally has her say, will she force these Very Important People to move past their glib words to a far deeper understanding of life, death, and grief?

If you're in LA, please plan to check it out!  I've seen the rehearsals. Tony's doing fantastic work and we've got 8 powerhouse actors in this never-before-seen piece.

Tetris Codes, Girl Nixon, and Cheese Steaks: A Q&A with Jonathan Goldberg

Howdy!  This week, please check out the reading of a brand spankin’ new play by my good friend Jonathan Goldberg, with whom I had a lively Q&A (below).  First, here’s the info on the play:

MY FATHER IS A TETRIS GAME
by Jonathan A. Goldberg
Directed by: Alexis Poledouris
January 20th @ 8PM
The New Dixon Place
161 Chrystie Street (between Rivington & Delancey www.dixonplace.org for info and tickets.

"Make Them Sit Forward!"

Hi, all!  Busy here in Burbank, and with the madness of the holidays I've been out of the soup for a bit.  (Oh, and I should also say: Happy New Year! - if a little belatedly.)

I'm taking an online playwriting workshop via Gotham.  The week's discussion is about how to make theater viable in a TV, film, and internet age.  I've been thinking a LOT about the "what the heck are we doing this for?" question, so I thought I'd post some of my thinking on that topic.

One of my classmates told a story about how her daughter, on a Peace Corps assignment in West Africa, saw children use sticks, tires and scraps as dolls, since they had no actual toys.

Writing: The Fast and the Furious (Part II)

Omigosh.  How did so much time go by since I last posted???

Well, it’s not like I haven’t been busy.  Aside from a particularly hectic time at work, there have been a lot of things going on.  For example…

• I headed back to NYC for my very first book  signing!  My play Women Behind the Bush was published alongside the wonderful work of my colleagues from En Avant Playwrights (including my dear friend and Extra Criticum contributor, Kathleen Warnock).  To celebrate, we had a big book party at Barnes and Noble at Lincoln Square, and there was a reading of an excerpt of the play with members of the original production.  (It was always a dream of mine to sign books at that particular B&N, since we live just blocks away from the store in NYC).  It was a whirlwind!  An absolute blast!  And now, United Stages’ book “The Best of En Avant Playwrights” is on shelves at the Drama Book Shop in NYC; it will soon be available on barnesandnoble.com.

• My play, Twisted Love, was performed in Fullerton, CA, in a lovely and very smart production directed by Tira Palmquist.

• But the big news is: I finished the NOVEL!

Writing: The Fast and the Furious (Part I)

I was planning to write about political theater and the theater of politics… but I have a mild case of election fatigue so I think I’ll save that post for Inauguration Day.  Instead, I’ll stick to the topic I planned: “Writing: The Fast and the Furious.”  (By which I mean to make playwriting sound cooler than a Vin Diesel movie.  Which it IS, people.  Come on!)