Extra Criticum

"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

Los Angelinos, Save the Date! Feb 4th - 1st Ever Extra Criticum Brevity Fest at El Cid

Save the date! Thursday, February 4th, Rolando Teco will be in Los Angeles and will host some of this blogs favorite L.A. writers and performers for

Beautiful personal essay on one critic's relationship with one of the most important playwrights of the 20th Century, Harold Pinter

The Economist's blog, More Intelligent Life features a gorgeous essay by theatre critic Irving Wardle on his decades-long (and sometimes strained) friendship with Harold Pinter. Here's just one juicy excerpt:

What's It All About?

When I'm not thinking about sex, cars, the documentary, or food, I'm thinking about how social networking, blogging, and good old web sites fit in the grand scheme of promoting one's work, and frankly, I'm a muddle.

My "company," has a web site that contains information about the films I've made and me the professional filmmaker. I have a Facebook page that probably has way too much  information about my personal life and some information about my professional life. I'm on Twitter. The documentary, A Life's Work, has a dedicated web site, a Facebook Fan page and a blog. Here's a diagram of how these things interact when I post something to the film's blog and how that post can reach the person at the other end of the wires.

Obama's NEA Calls on Artists to "Motivate Change." Say, what?!

So, under the Obama administration's lead, the National Endowment for the Arts recently hosted a conference call with 75 arts leaders from across the nation, during which artists were called upon to "make work that will support the efforts underway in this administration's agenda."

You heard me. Here's just one chilling excerpt:

Interview with Robert McKee on Storylink

Interesting interview with screenwriting guru Robert McKee on Storylink. Here's one tidbit on why television may be experiencing a golden age in the U.S.:

Parabasis Launches a Way Cool Series on Lighting Design

Check out Isaac Butler's cool new series on his fabulous blog, Parabasis.

A Designer Prepares -- In The Studio
Lighting Designer Lucas Krech has graciously agreed to let readers in on his process in a three part series he's titled "A Designer Prepares".  Here's the first part:

Put Words in Mister Softee's Cone Contest: Best Lyric Wins Big!

In the recent flurry of commentary over our four 2nd looks at the 1985 film, After Hours, it came to light that Andrew Altenburg had been trying to put lyrics to the Mister Softee ice cream truck tune for years. See following quote:

Well, I never did actually finish the Mr. Softee lyrics but maybe now that I have a little extra time on my hands (see my post from late yesterday) maybe it's something I can work on...

We at Extra Criticum decided to help him finish this vital cultural project by soliciting you, our readers, as our best resource. Come up with your lyric to the Mister Softee tune (provided in mp3 below) and you may win one of several as-yet-undetermined door prizes as well as the satisfaction of knowing that you have breathed new life into this classic tune, a fixture of the New York City landscape for at least 25 years. [Enter your lyrics in the Comments section below]

Download MrSoftee

Is Decentralization Really Better?

This post caught my eye. Some very interesting points are made regarding the value of creating art within the "confines" of an institution as opposed to all by one's lonesome, as has been the recent trend, spurred on by the likes of YouTube and MySpace et al.

Douglas McLennan writes in his blog, diacritical:

There's lots of debating to be done about whether we need large institutions to report news. But a similar question can also be asked about the arts. The 1990s was a decade of arts institutionalization in America. Smaller theatres became larger theatres. Mid-size museums became bigger museums. And symphony orchestras expanded.

The internet has decentralized the arts. People make art online, compose and record music and make movies in home studios, Massive online multiplayer games have changed the ways we think about narrative. Personal digital players have changed the ways audiences consume art.

Read the full post here.

Top 10 Movie Characters

Nathaniel R. over at the ever delightful Film Experience got tagged in a meme asking for a list of one's ten favorite movie characters, a daunting task but one that immediately had my wheels turning. With so many characters in so many films to choose from, how does one even begin to narrow it down to ten? What criteria does one use -- Outstanding performance? Excellent screenplay? Classic film? My ten characters are a mixed bag; what they all have in common is their persistent hold on my imagination, independent of the stories in which they appear and of the other characters that surround them in their films.

And Bette Davis, the queen of screen characterization, takes the first two positions on the list.

Happy Belated Birthday, Bessie Mae

While it's snowing in the Northeast, we're getting spring showers here in Los Angeles. All of which makes me think about cross-pollination, something I'm very much in favor of. Nathaniel R at the sensational Film Experience Blog has thrown down another gauntlet:

"Blog challenge! If you have a blog, post a Hollywood candid or three you'd most like to hear the accompanying audio track to. I'll link up right here. Spread the namedropping / eavesdropping love."

I'm offering one of my favorite snapshots of Monty Clift and Elizabeth Taylor (born February 27, 1932), taken (I'm guessing) during the filming of A Place in the Sun. This photo never fails to bring a smile to my face:

I'm an Episode, Ma!

Leonard Jacobs introduces and talks with his good friend Gary Garrison. Gary is Executive Director of Creative Affairs of The Dramatists Guild.  Leonard begins with asking Gary for a short sketch of his background and then a description of the newly minted (since ‘07) post he occupies at the Guild.

Gary enlightens the audience with a succinct description of the Guild and what it is, what it does, and why it is valuable for any playwright to be a member.  The listener gets a very clear idea of the many reasons playwrights should at least be aware of the merits of joining the Guild, or at the least, being aware of the many programs the Guild offers.

Leonard changes direction a bit to talk about a project begun by Gary years ago (it’s not part of the Guild), a playwrights’ newsletter — it’s called The Loop and it has become a fascinating interactive group.  Take a listen.

Episode #253 - Leonard Jacobs Interviews Gary Garrison of the Dramatists Guild

Achtung Playwrights! National Playwriting Month '08 Begins Nov. 1

Write a play in one month! That's the clarion call from NaPlWriMo (National Playwriting Month) founder Dorothy Lemoult who was inspired by the National Novel Writing Month. To get in on the fun, visit the NaPlWriMo official website. it's fun, it's kinda crazy and you may end up having written one more script!

What's not to like?

Sexism vs. Homophobia? Clyde Fitch Cuts Through the Bull

In the spirited and often eye-opening blog, Clyde Fitch Report, Leonard Jacobs proves once again that he has a gift for cutting through the layers of muck that other writers seem to miss.

On the recent brewing controversy over playwright Theresa Rebeck's Guardian piece in which she revives the "old boys" complaint against Broadway, see this Clyde Fitch post.