tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33629642012-01-18T03:55:07.522-05:00This is the blog of Greg Machlin. I'm a playwright, screenwriter, and pursuing TV writing. Now live from Los Angeles. I can be reached at: gregmachlin [at] NOSPAMgmail.comGregMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476688473774894464noreply@blogger.comBlogger1251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-38679202210392284682011-05-26T02:01:00.003-04:002011-05-26T03:36:43.608-04:00

I am not a blogger.I don't know if I'll ever be a blogger.Sigh…BUT! I have a website up! You should check it out:http://www.gregmachlin.comMy producing partner Joe Luis Cedillo and I are conducting a fundraising campaign for two new shows, "Dreams from a Dead City" (watch our amazing trailer, edited by Alex Scott, here)You can donate & learn about perks here: http://www.indiegogo.com/

GregMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476688473774894464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-12294754825148531292010-09-02T05:21:00.001-04:002010-09-02T05:22:45.753-04:00

This just went out to people, but you can still be on the list![Greetings all. At some point in the past, either in person or on facebook, you expressed interest in reading "The Lords Of Perth." For at least one of you, this was several months ago, and you may have forgotten--hopefully you haven't--but all the others are pretty recent.]Well, The Lords of Perth, the best comic fantasy novel

GregMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476688473774894464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-58963851866683587092010-08-27T01:08:00.002-04:002010-08-27T01:18:24.126-04:00

Hello, everyone! A quick note--"Sushi" has a return engagement at Turtle Shell Productions in Manhattan (300 W 43rd St., 6th floor, between 8th and 9th Aves., very close to 8th). Five performances remaining, with two different casts!http://www.turtleshellproductions.com/Summer%20Shorties%20Summar%20Not%202010%20MAIN.htmRemaining Group B performances:Saturday, August 28th, 4 PMSunday, August 29th

GregMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476688473774894464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-15920730037740166462010-05-13T02:44:00.003-04:002010-05-13T02:48:50.878-04:00

(Rene, as the Assassin, kills a guard on a roof by hurling a knife into him.)GREG: Dude, you just killed an innocent guard!RENE: He wasn't innocent.GREG: "I wasn't even supposed to be here today!" What if he was on ground duty, huh?INT. ITALIAN RENAISSANCE HUT - DAYGUARD: Good news, honey! I just got that promotion! I don't have to stand guard on the dirty ground anymore--they're moving me up to

GregMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476688473774894464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-22658734491788678652010-02-19T00:57:00.003-05:002010-02-19T00:59:26.873-05:00

http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsM/machlin-greg.htmlI've got 90% of my plays listed; trunk plays that aren't ready ("Fond Childhood Memories," "American Patriot: The Oliver North Story," "Wilmer McClean") aren't up yet. ("i hear the loveliest music," the world's best play about a talking laundry room that may or may not be evil, and the young man trapped in it, *is* ready for production, but

GregMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476688473774894464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-3390015481430729502010-01-17T16:46:00.002-05:002010-01-17T16:54:28.092-05:00

The New York Times says life is getting increasingly difficult for what was once the most stable profession:and introduces me to a fun new blog, Sweet Hot Justice.I used to fantasize about wanting to be a lawyer. Yes, that's right. I didn't fantasize about being a lawyer, I fantasized about *wanting* to be a lawyer, because if I'd *wanted* to be a lawyer, I'd be one right now. (And there's some

GregMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476688473774894464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-65752565875121744412009-12-10T18:08:00.002-05:002009-12-10T18:14:56.487-05:00

John August and Craig Mazin, two of the better-known blogging screenwriters, have weighed in the website ScriptShadow, which reviews sold spec screenplays, unsold spec screenplays, and movies in development.While "Carson Reeves" seems to be a decent writer and reviewer, and while he does have a "top 25" script list of scripts he'd like to see get made, the fact remains that he's reviewing

GregMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476688473774894464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-83516088671855300852009-11-14T02:36:00.003-05:002009-11-14T02:37:19.542-05:00

Me: Hey, God, check out this neat bookshelf I just built all by myself. It really goes well in the room, and helps to relieve the piles of stuff I had on my floor.God: Good work, Greg. It is a nice bookshelf, and I can see it's full already. As long as you made sure that it's more soundly built than your last bookshelf.Me: God, I don't know what you're talking about. This is the first bookshelf

GregMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476688473774894464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-44247694009841527952009-09-09T04:32:00.002-04:002009-09-09T04:43:03.671-04:00

Tim Miller alerted me to a story out there about a new play inspired by angry, anti-gay comments on a newspaper's website. I'm a little dubious of the (as-yet-unproduced-but-soon-to-be-produced) play, based solely on the fact that it calls for people to wander around onstage with typewriters strapped to their chests, calling out the comments themselves, but it did prompt this piece of writing on

GregMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12476688473774894464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-9449186890335875052009-09-01T16:51:00.002-04:002009-09-01T17:42:24.629-04:00

In the past two weeks, I've learned two of my friends (let's call them "A" and "B") have, respectively, stopped directing theatre to pursue teaching math/science (A) and are strongly considering leaving L.A. and pursuing something other than TV writing (B). C and D, a couple both involved in the entertainment industry in some aspect (one's a director, the other's an actor), pulled up stakes and

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-30043974953109808192009-08-19T01:25:00.003-04:002009-08-19T01:33:11.081-04:00

There's an excellent blog called Fafblog, written by a guy I may or may not know (he said cagily.) In the blog is Giblets, a character who makes Sean Hannity look like Russ Feingold. And Giblets is often angry. It's not updated very much, but the archives are hysterical and still worth reading.Anyway, the Campaign for Change wanted to know if I had any questions about health care. I did! Let's

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-48867361146929647132009-07-21T01:43:00.002-04:002009-07-21T01:50:09.400-04:00

1) Now they've gone too far!Robots invade classic postcards.2) I decided when twitter first came out that it was completely useless for real-life things (this was pre-Iranian-revolution) and could therefore only be used for fiction.If you're not following me on twitter, you're missing the epic saga of me attempting to invade Antarctica, being intercepted by penguins somewhere in Mexico, being

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-10475382386001862382009-07-11T05:19:00.001-04:002009-07-11T05:22:27.588-04:00

There's an anonymous comment about how Xtranormal are " unscrupulous ba[s]terds," and unlike some anonymous stuff, you can actually trust this one, because it comes from someone I actually know personally.Apparently Xtranormal didn't pay a bunch of their staff, and then laid them off, and still owes several people money, of whom this guy is one. So I guess I'm glad I stopped using that site. And

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-72148404813650980202009-07-04T05:56:00.002-04:002009-07-04T05:58:47.621-04:00

"AFTER an unequivocal experience on the inefficiency of the subsisting federal government, you are called upon to deliberate on a new Constitution for the United States of America."--Federalist #1.The 2nd time a major marketing campaign was used as a force of good (the first being Common Sense, of course.)Read the whole thing, as they say.And happy 4th of July!

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-57015594989200030632009-06-28T18:11:00.003-04:002009-06-28T18:14:30.313-04:00

"The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon," the one about the demonic figure trying to kill an ordinary guy with a spoon, has been removed by its user, possibly in an attempt to try to force more people to buy it when it comes out on DVD. Don Hertzfeldt also doesn't put his films out for free, which makes sense, considering they're his major source of income.It's an

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-50366716185988769392009-06-27T23:20:00.003-04:002009-06-27T23:21:03.198-04:00

Star Trek: The Abridged Scriptcourtesy Rob Hilton.Pretty funny."BLACK HOLES LET US DO ANYTHING!"

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-43893285619140574452009-06-08T01:06:00.001-04:002009-06-08T01:08:09.871-04:00

Let's hear it for Cynthia Stafford, who won $120 million in the Lotto and has used her winnings on… increased funding for the arts. Good for her.My favorite tidbit: one of the projects she's embarking on is producing a film version of Don DeLillo's White Noise.You go, girl.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vickie-karp/third-screen-lotto-winner_b_212378.html

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-380343985004203922009-06-03T16:01:00.001-04:002009-06-03T16:02:52.460-04:00

My first online interview! Thanks to Jeff Hyatt for his excellent questions.Go forth and read. See inside my head, terrifying as that may be...http://milesdavisonline.com/culture/the-miles-davis-online-interview-greg-machlin/

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-22819357775391331522009-05-25T03:52:00.002-04:002009-05-25T04:00:33.765-04:00

I'm past the 88,000 word point on my novel, which feels good; it's now officially A NOVEL. (For those who don't know, I abandoned "StrangeOffice," my previous novel, due to a general lack of enthusiasm which had seeped into the text itself, and have stayed enthusiastic with this project despite the fact that, word-wise, it's easily the longest thing I've ever written. My epic sci-fi

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-84307966112732862372009-04-16T01:30:00.003-04:002009-04-16T01:31:26.062-04:00

So there's this website that lets you make 3D animated movies with some (currently very limited) templates: two actors, one set, one musical track if you want it. It's very, very cool and, given the limitations, is probably of particular interest to playwrights.Here's the prologue from 2034: Basket Full of Books.http://www.xtranormal.com/watch?e=20090416010742604

Gregnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-79334440709266227572009-04-14T19:28:00.002-04:002009-04-14T19:33:45.650-04:00

I wrote a guest blog post at Chris Leyva's blog about writers and the waiting game, which quotes my favorite scene from "American Patriot," my comedy about the Iran-Contra scandal… a trunk play I'm waiting to figure out what to do with.http://web.me.com/chrisleyva/Chris_Leyva/Blog/Entries/2009/4/1_Thoughts_on_%E2%80%9CThe_Waiting_Game%E2%80%9D_by_Greg_Machlin.htmlI saw a play by a family friend,

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-83713251811818101332009-03-24T20:29:00.002-04:002009-03-24T20:31:47.549-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJZQZARGq5M"The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon." One of the most demented things I've seen on the internet since "Salad Fingers."And if you haven't seen "Salad Fingers," you REALLY NEED to see "Salad Fingers." There are eight episodes in all.

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-42733464024897805292009-03-05T14:28:00.003-05:002009-03-05T14:38:15.570-05:00

One of the kids in one of my after-school classes is very mildly autistic; he also happens to be better behaved than a lot of the "normal" students. Anyway, this is a piece on the NYTimes blog "Motherlode" from a woman who has an autistic son, and on her experiences taking him on a grocery shopping trip to try and continue mainstreaming him.http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-55053423624671312009-03-02T00:35:00.002-05:002009-03-02T00:37:47.853-05:00

i have "borrowed"your season 2of the wirethat was inyour living roomin iowaand which you mighthave wanted to re-watchbecause the wire is so amazingforgive meit is too critically acclaimedso intelligentand Emmy-deniedlance reddickisteh awesome

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-33274871599968133212009-02-26T14:32:00.002-05:002009-02-26T14:36:00.581-05:00

Submitted my pilot "Greg Machlin's Absurdities" to the Slamdance TV pilot competition, polishing a "30 Rock" spec due Feb. 28 for the Nickelodeon fellowship, and working two jobs (SAT instructor/tutor and chess/lego instructor for Parker-Anderson). Saw "7 Days" back at the University of Iowa Jan. 23 and 24; both nights sold out. The show went fantastic.And StrangeOffice awaits!But in the meantime

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-15888765538971347512009-01-09T05:56:00.002-05:002009-01-09T06:33:07.995-05:00

"I sense a great disturbance in the force," says Obi-Wan Kenobi after the destruction of Alderaan.http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200901/new-york-timesI think I'm probably in the minority of people in my generation, but I grew up with the print New York Times, at least the Sunday edition. My dad would get it every Sunday afternoon at Mr. Paperback, and I'd devour the Week in Review, the Arts &

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-4526526608980340952009-01-07T04:08:00.002-05:002009-01-07T04:13:27.415-05:00

Yes, I'm sure everyone already reads this and it's very popular, but if you haven't…you should check out Questionable Content. Specifically, this strip.I started from the beginning and up to QC #142.Unlike a lot of internet comics, there's not too much to catch up on, but you can start at the beginning, read 100 a day, and get caught up in 13 days. Seriously, they're like, bite-size, and very

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-24870822074041502052009-01-01T18:43:00.002-05:002009-01-01T18:44:14.916-05:00

If you haven't yet seen "Where the Hell is Matt?"http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/videos.shtml?fbid=jysBOtouHDnThe DMZ in Korea is still my favorite.

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-49654056778124385592008-12-21T23:52:00.005-05:002008-12-22T00:29:01.891-05:00

Amanda P's post about Christmas movies got me thinking. (She likes "Home Alone." I shudder at the thought. I hasten to add that Amanda is right about almost everything else.) And not a few hours later, Bob Mondello cited some off-the-beaten-path Christmas movies in his commentary on NPR.So I was doing a little googling and discovered this line which begins AOL's roundup on Christmas movies:"They

Gregnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-30280890296070342632008-12-13T21:15:00.003-05:002008-12-13T21:27:06.709-05:00

Dear U.S. Airways, Thank you for the e-card. I would have preferred that you revert your baggage policy back to not charging for checked bags, now that fuel prices have gone down, but that's life. However, I'm puzzled by certain aspects of this image, and have a few questions about it for you. 1) The plane appears to have materialized through the glass of the snowglobe

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-57448162719530723862008-12-11T18:18:00.002-05:002008-12-11T18:26:39.891-05:00

…to all those on the "Black List" (the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood); in particular, congrats to Paul Grellong (Manuscript) and Geoff Litwack & Kat Dennings (Your dreams suck). I remember, way back when we were both at Brown, when Paul & I both tried to hand our scripts (he had a "Sopranos" spec, I had TWii, a half-hour comedy pilot) to a nameless Brown alum in the entertainment

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-58384241007820392122008-12-06T06:48:00.002-05:002008-12-06T06:51:51.671-05:00

Kinda fun, kinda uneventful. No one was fat. (Seriously. No one. We may have had the worst school spirit of any Waterville High class in, well, probably at least seven years, but we're fit!)But 30 Rock just did an episode about, yes, Liz's high school reunion. It's the funniest episode of the season, so far:http://www.hulu.com/watch/47439/30-rock-reunion...as National Review's The Corner pointed

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-63765678432307338802008-11-30T19:15:00.003-05:002008-11-30T19:57:43.785-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0szHqIXQ2R8Home again, home again. But then it's not really my home--Encino is home. Waterville is "back." As in, "I'm going back for a few days." The tree in my ex-front yard is gone, a victim of its own potential to fall on our house during a storm. Actually, both trees in my front yard are gone--the one not next to my (ex-)driveway, but still close to the house

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-43343109724410202262008-11-24T04:42:00.002-05:002008-11-24T04:49:27.295-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WwPpfyPUC8&feature=channelEliza Dushku: Rock. Concept: Pretty Cool. Harry J. Lennix and Amy Acker: Rock. Fran Kanz, in the Nicholas Bredon/Jonathan Woodward obligatory geek role (we don't know yet whether he's a good guy geek or a bad guy geek): seems good so far. Teaser? Very good. Trailer: Not quite as good:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDcEKo4V7fAFOX as

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-45857473593300111682008-11-24T02:00:00.003-05:002008-11-24T02:10:30.488-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHOSEcmZvG8Apologies--this blog has again fallen into disrepair. But I have excuses! Lots and lots of excuses!(And welcome to any fans of Amanda, from aspiringtvwriter.blogspot.com!)First: "Starring Laura Silver" has been approved for web series production by a company in NYC, so I've been writing many new webisodes for what's planned to be a 14-webisode run. (The

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-27588178445947929722008-11-10T03:53:00.003-05:002008-11-10T04:08:13.895-05:00

Michael Crichton died; I don't know if I could call him an influence, but I'm impressed with anyone who can make a living writing, and he sure did.There's a very important difference between Jurassic Park the movie and Jurassic Park the book: Jurassic Park ends this way:1) Ian Malcolm dies. He actually dies. "Ian Malcolm was dead" is, I believe, a direct quote from the end of the book.2) All the

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-38970407814889917782008-11-10T03:50:00.002-05:002008-11-10T03:53:54.487-05:00

we've just had a historic, dazzling election (and the Dems picked up a sixth Senate seat in Oregon! Now if Franken can only win the recount...) I thought that it would of course be time to talk about music videos. Look, I read dailykos.com, talkingpointsmemo.com, firedoglake.com, fivethirtyeight.com, andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com, and alicublog.blogspot.com with the best of them. But sometimes

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-47818062918219983932008-11-04T04:43:00.005-05:002008-11-04T05:35:00.821-05:00

I completed my eighth volunteering session for the Obama campaign today. It's more than I've ever done for a political campaign before, I believe my efforts have helped a little, and I know I could have done far more. But here's the rundown:A Sunday in late August: terrified by the polls showing McCain up by two points, I go to the Obama website, download a call sheet, and make twenty calls. As

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-65572712203586001322008-11-03T06:18:00.002-05:002008-11-03T06:19:05.844-05:00

Go vote.Volunteer.And get thee to the legendary fafblog:http://fafblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/fafblog-interviews-john-mccain.html

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-36194835692427865942008-10-27T04:11:00.003-04:002008-10-27T04:17:14.036-04:00

Not much to say tonight--been a busy weekend, spending time with a writer friend, volunteering for Obama in Encino Park on Saturday afternoon, Halloween parties with a new friend Saturday night, and seeing my aunt & uncle today, down from San Francisco. And despite a very good weekend, angry & discouraged about the possibility that I'll never get to demonstrate my TV talents.But here's an essay

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-56997386674291344982008-10-23T19:07:00.002-04:002008-10-23T19:17:40.246-04:00

I was parked in an underground parking lot recently, and as I walked back to my car, I realized that something didn't look right--my car didn't look like my car. Maybe it was a trick of the light, maybe it was just that I was approaching it from a different direction.I realized, later on, that it was the fact that I had just changed license plates--trading in my Iowa plates, 815 RNQ, for a more

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-84753020494578157172008-10-22T03:24:00.002-04:002008-10-22T03:25:12.569-04:00

A very good quote from my fellow classmate Dean P. on the reunion, which I like because it's generous of spirit."Personally, I would love to see everyone from school, people I knew well, people I didn't know at all, people I should have known better, and hear their life stories so far. It's exciting to see people break barriers and do what was expected of them, or better yet, done the unexpected.

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-51311228555894071432008-10-22T03:02:00.002-04:002008-10-22T03:16:45.359-04:00

"I have always hated that damn James Bond. I'd like to kill him."--Sean ConnerySo, Ms. Broccoli, thanks so much for having me in today. I really liked what you've done with the series.So, we all know this is Daniel Craig's last Bond film; I'd, uh, I'd like to do something a little bit different. Of course, we're both in agreement that the general storyline is Daniel Craig training the new Bond.

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-40640100168854352362008-10-21T02:50:00.002-04:002008-10-21T03:10:07.601-04:00

Writer Darin Strauss has a new essay on salon about his twentieth anniversary high school reunion:http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/10/20/darin_strauss/Which reminds me that my tenth reunion is coming up, here:I don't honestly know if I'm going. Part of it is money; my big trip back east this fall was Emily's wedding in Camden, which meant I had to miss the 25th anniversary of the founding of

Gregnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-76429852630345319552008-10-20T01:26:00.004-04:002008-10-20T01:36:55.599-04:00

So, I went looking for the Playlabs website to apply this year.http://www.pwcenter.org/news.php?n=55Playlabs is on hiatus.Great. One of the more important development programs for new playwrights in this country is "on hiatus" and quite possibly dead. Just what we need.I just mailed off my application for the O'Neill on Friday (I submitted the Miles Davis play). Bay Area deadline is approaching,

Gregnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-74502613260905417682008-08-30T00:24:00.003-04:002008-08-30T00:29:44.576-04:00

Re: "Columns" at Obama's convention speech/the incessant repetition of Wright & Ayers:(Originally, an email sent to Victor Davis Hanson):Dear Victor, Re: "Victory Column/Temple" Attached is a photo of George W. Bush's convention speech in 2004. Give. Me. A. Break. Legitimate arguments against Obama are one thing (screaming Ayers! Wright! aren't)* but couldn't you guys at least be

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-40853843470800200462008-08-21T18:14:00.004-04:002008-08-21T18:18:41.723-04:00

Yep, I've moved to L.A. and am ensconced in Encino, renting a room in a condo in a complex with a pool.Pool!And I have a paid playwriting job, too--can't reveal details at the moment, but I'm enjoying the project.For readers from Iowa, I've seen Adam Hahn--we saw "Batman: The Dark Knight" in IMAX with Brian Rochlin; I've also met up with Jeff Weisman.But, in the meantime, from Amanda the aspiring

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-88883159501324916212008-06-22T15:29:00.002-04:002008-06-22T15:32:43.914-04:00

More photos of the theatre dept. coming soon. The water is now gone from around the building, but it remains to be seen what the inside looks like...Meanwhile, Pixar, which I was a fan of before it was cool (e.g. back when they were making short films like Luxo Jr. & Red's Dream, 1986-ish), is creating original vignettes to help introduce Wall-E (its new robot star) to people. You can view them

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-72854550946270340742008-06-17T16:14:00.008-04:002008-06-17T16:26:59.975-04:00

The back entrance of the IMU (the student union.)Sandbagging efforts on Friday, near the main library.Water pours past the Burlington St. Bridge.This is where Benton curves around and becomes Kirkwood.It's not usually underwater.You can click on the top 2 photos for more detailed views.That's all for now, because blogger is being a pain about posting photos. Maybe I need to transfer this blog

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-74658841772092224612008-06-17T04:18:00.002-04:002008-06-17T04:20:35.151-04:00

This building's been really good to me.And now it's underwater.(Photo by Bryan Glass).Some flood photos by me coming tomorrow. (I'm fine, as is my apartment at the top of a steep hill that I used to bitch about biking up every day my first year hear. Apparently there are advantages to living at the top of a hill.)

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-89851454615895016662008-05-15T03:40:00.006-04:002008-05-15T03:50:34.540-04:00

Okay. That was just bad. Six weeks? Six weeks without a post, Machlin?What can I say, I had a show in rehearsal.Anyway, here are a few photos from the past six weeks:That's the remarkable Connie Winston (in baseball cap), dramaturg and director extraordinaire, directing Ethan Henry (on the floor). Makeba Henry and Armand Ashby look on. Ethan played Miles Davis in a reading at the Iowa Playwrights

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-63576409410667189452008-03-27T00:38:00.003-04:002008-03-27T00:43:09.550-04:00

Oh noes! Amanda cannot find the hidden beach!If only there were an arrow pointing in the proper direction...Another photo from the Pi Day weekend, this one starring the delightful Amanda D., who was also the inspiration for the character of Amanda the German Eggplant (a psychic) in my play "Film Noir Anthology 1: The Sleep Demon."

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-27766376700914211142008-03-23T18:40:00.003-04:002008-03-23T19:49:06.644-04:00

This is now a photo blog. One photo a day, at least!This is the view from where I was last weekend--Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, for a Pi Day reunion with some college friends.This is where I am now, in Iowa.Vive la difference!

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-49837924743026609922008-01-18T23:20:00.000-05:002008-01-18T23:21:58.894-05:00

This is the first part of a TV pilot I directed and co-edited with my friend, Kent Roberts back in the fall of' '03.Enjoy!

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-24981422987411485562008-01-15T17:41:00.000-05:002008-01-15T17:42:33.659-05:00

Off of a meme by John Scalzi:1) Directed a play that involved 10 actors, 4 separate video sequences, an onstage suicide involving a device designed to spray blood2) Lost my retainer on the bottom of Lake Michigan until my dad found it for me3) Marched with the creator of "My So-Called Life" and the writer of "Coal Miner's Daughter" on the WGA picket lines as a non-WGA member4) Helped a giant snow

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-27481327502752714622007-08-26T22:25:00.000-04:002007-08-26T22:36:48.727-04:00

Review of Bloody Lies!Bloody Lies in New York got a good review from BroadwayWorld.com, which called it "immensely fun and entertaining." Over 100 people saw the 5 different performances, and we were nominated for "best New Script" from the Midtown International Theatre Festival; Gabe Belyeu's sound design and Carrie Cimma's performance as Simparticus were also nominated.We also got two bad

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-87234891193503994852007-06-12T14:59:00.001-04:002007-06-12T15:03:09.123-04:00

Tickets are still available for Bloody Lies:http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=BLO5There's also another cool vampire-related show in the festival: Nosferatu: The Morning of My Death. It's being produced by Rabbit Hole Ensemble:http://www.rabbitholeensemble.comHope to see everyone there!

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-81275055949184249492007-05-20T15:27:00.000-04:002007-05-20T15:30:22.424-04:00

http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=BLO5 My full-length comedy about vampires, "Bloody Lies," is receiving a production in New York, in the Midtown International Theatre Festival, at the Workshop Theatre on 36th St this July. The show got a very good reception when it was produced here in Iowa, and Midtown is a great venue. I'm excited. About "Bloody Lies": Can Clem find true love

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-87025601016241271002007-01-28T04:23:00.000-05:002007-01-28T04:25:23.388-05:00

By the way, I now also have a website up:http://homepage.mac.com/gregmachlinYou can revisit your favorite plays via downloadable script samples; soon to have an MP3 or two.

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-19943096198760369112007-01-28T04:13:00.000-05:002007-01-28T04:21:54.382-05:00

Jesus, I'd forgotten how much acting can suck up your time--and with me, it ends up sucking up writing time, which isn't so great. The *show* I'm in is quite good--it's best described as "Office Space" meets "The Road to Guantanamo," if one can picture such a thing--I play a Syrian-American engineering boss who is accused of plotting terrorism and taken via rendition to an unknown location and

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-57728712247321349342007-01-05T00:05:00.000-05:002007-01-05T00:06:24.827-05:00

This is a letter I wrote to Newsweek about their coverage of Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon:I'm disappointed that Newsweek is following the conventional wisdom on Ford's astonishing blanket pardon of Nixon--that it enabled the country to "heal." What utter nonsense. When was the last time you heard victims of a crime asking a judge not to prosecute a criminal because they, the victims, needed to "

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1163844215823139182006-11-18T05:03:00.000-05:002006-11-18T05:03:35.833-05:00

You are The MagicianSkill, wisdom, adaptation. Craft, cunning, depending on dignity.Eleoquent and charismatic both verbally and in writing, you are clever, witty, inventive and persuasive.The Magician is the male power of creation, creation by willpower and desire. In that ancient sense, it is the ability to make things so just by speaking them aloud. Reflecting this is the fact that the

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1150585356169327402006-06-17T18:49:00.000-04:002006-06-17T19:02:36.213-04:00

Random thought:Certain pieces of music really need to have music videos animated in claymation of them. Case in point: Steely Dan's "Hey Nineteen." It just *screams* claymation.At least, it does to me. Maybe it's something about the "Hey, Nineteen--that's 'retha Franklin/She don't remember Queen of Soul!" You can practically see the claymation guy shrugging his shoulders. I'm thinking Will

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1150584530286788202006-06-17T18:45:00.000-04:002006-06-17T18:49:09.286-04:00

You know what's even better than cute babies?Cute babies with REALLY BIG HEADS.Just sayin'. Wish I'd had a camera. The baby (spotted in Wal-Mart earlier today) was almost a candidate for cuteoverload.com.

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1145505419759870002006-04-19T23:54:00.000-04:002006-06-17T18:45:06.546-04:00

No award? You had three finalists and no award? NOBODY gets the $10,000 prize? My sympathies to Christopher Durang, Rollin Jones, and Adam Rapp (the three named finalists). *Somebody* should have gotten the prize. I can't help wondering how you put that on a resume: Pulitzer Prize Finalist (no actual winner).Maybe just "Pulitzer Prize Finalist."

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1143264484806082682006-03-25T00:23:00.000-05:002006-03-25T00:28:04.816-05:00

So, when I was in New York, in the summer of 2000, a very cool writer/director named Vincente Stasolla took me under his wing. I helped him out later that summer by volunteering as a P.A. on his first feature film "The Forgotten"--an intimate Korean war drama that reminds me a little of Stanely Kubrick's "Paths of Glory." The film was finished in 2003; it's now being released on DVD. I've read

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1142579924802268472006-03-17T02:13:00.000-05:002006-03-17T02:19:48.080-05:00

So Pi Day was good. Atlanta was nice and warm, and it was good to see old friends. We didn't do much. We sat around, read, cooked, talked, sat in a hammock (until the hammock fell down), went for walks, I brought a new scene from "2034"...a nice, quiet vacation, sandwiched by a 20-hour bus ride there and back. But I read "Carter Beats the Devil," which was good. Got back in touch with Ryan

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1140761699696932192006-02-24T01:10:00.000-05:002006-02-24T01:14:59.706-05:00

Fuck.Happy late Birthday, Elmo.Hope it was a good one. Currently working on: 2034: Basket full of Books--a dark comedy set in the future; W Speaks: a monologue for one actor to play George W. Bush, and Deleted Scenes--a play about one of my fictional characters--a supervillain called Moriarity--who comes to life and starts screwing with me.Currently listening to: "Stars and the Moon" by Jason

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1137308991889358732006-01-15T02:04:00.000-05:002006-01-15T02:09:51.900-05:00

Wow. Happy 2006, everyone...(Haven't posted in almost 5 months. Grad school.)If you like someone who posts a little more often, you might enjoy: http://millwhistle.com/Mary Phillips-Sandy's blog. She's pretty cool. A fellow watervillian-turned-New-Yorker.Things I did in NY:Saw a play (Tabula Rasa, an ambitious musical about autism), went to see Neil Gaiman read, gave him a copy of my radio play,

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1123974863079578892005-08-13T19:12:00.000-04:002005-08-13T19:14:23.086-04:00

In Iowa City, I've seen two wild rabbits.In Iowa City, later that evening, I had tasty rabbit stew.In Iowa City, they have yellow signs everywhere that say "Share the Road" with a car and a bike on it. I do a lot of biking.In Iowa City, (on a road leading out of it) I saw two monarch butterflies. In Iowa City (a few miles outside of it), I stood in a field and yelled "Corn! Corn, as far as the

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1119947683460508572005-06-28T04:29:00.000-04:002005-06-28T04:34:43.466-04:00

http://www.projo.com/theater/content/projo_20050615_newrev.200effc.htmlYou have to register, but it's free.In the Providence Journal, no less. Came out either Weds. the 15th or Thurs. the 16th."...there are no real duds in this collection of one-acters...But some were more rewarding than others. Greg Machlin's Sushi was among the more clever offerings of the night. Six pieces of sushi come to

Gregnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1114064197867672672005-04-21T02:12:00.000-04:002005-04-21T02:18:55.406-04:00

Although this review will be published in the forthcoming premiere issue of the Journal of Arts & Letters, I’ve chosen to publish reviews of particularly worthy shows on this blog, so I can promote them while they’re still playing. The first deserving show is “God Hates the Irish.”GOD HATES THE IRISH: The Ballad of Armless JohnnyThe Rattlesnake Players Theatre, 224 Waverly Place (off of 7th

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1111559143245105392005-03-23T01:24:00.000-05:002005-04-21T02:30:25.333-04:00

I'm reposting part of a scene from my full-length comedy about vampires, "Myths, Legends, Outright Lies." In this scene in the play, Clem has finally arrived in the mysterious country of Rachvorgia, where strange doings are afoot:(BARNEY exits. CLEM enters the Inn. The three VILLAGERS present stop and stare at him.) CLEMGood day. VILLAGER #1Oooh… a mysterious stranger! We don’t see many

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1110023615453921812005-03-05T06:48:00.000-05:002005-03-05T06:53:35.456-05:00

So Bill Frist wants to blow up the Senate because the Democrats are (rightfully) fillibustering extremist judicial nominees. Interestingly enough, Frist himself once fillibustered one of Clinton's judicial nominees, but doesn't want you to know that. Also, the Repubs in that era used the anonymous hold procedure, which is disgraceful. The New Yorker has an excellent article this week: I sent a

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1108208613161603982005-02-12T06:39:00.000-05:002005-02-12T06:43:33.163-05:00

*An Arthur Miller Story*When two of my friends from Waterville, Gavin & Sarah, first moved to New York, they were living in a van. So they were trying to get a place. But neither one of them had the necessary credit. So they needed a cosigner & someone to loan them money.Apparently, Arthur Miller is in the phone book in Connecticut. So they called him up."Hello?" Inge said."It's Edward Albee,"

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1091521744532785052004-08-03T04:22:00.000-04:002004-08-03T04:29:04.533-04:00

Well, it's been way too long. I think this can now officially be classified as a website, and not a blog. Something interesting: In the past 36 hours, I've encountered various representations of "Hamlet" five different times. Sunday, 4 PM: I saw a copy of "Gertrude & Claudius," John Updike's prequel to Hamlet, at the bookstore, and put it on hold (as I want to buy it). Monday, 2 PM: Reading

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1084307607289622702004-05-11T16:28:00.000-04:002004-05-11T16:33:27.290-04:00

My roommate seems to have temporarily absconded with our jointly-purchased printer. Grrrr. I will no longer be able to use it, since it's not here, and will have to go to Kinko's to print out my new seven-page monologue and my comments for the other two people in my playwriting class. Also, since my class is taking a break next week, I'll need some sort of printer to print out whatever scene I

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1083051293023482682004-04-27T03:26:00.000-04:002004-04-27T03:38:57.670-04:00

Sheesh, it's been a long time since I updated my blog. Eh, whattaya gonna do, as Anna says to Leslie in "The Collaborative Process," when they discover that they are, in fact, in the play they're writing (or at least, *think* they're writing)... So, mostly good news as of late. I got my federal refund tax check back (advantage of filing before April 1st--I used H&R Block. I*tried* really hard to

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1080802492351299632004-04-01T01:49:00.000-05:002004-04-01T01:57:30.233-05:00

There's a very interesting essay on the writing life--trials and tribulations and such--at http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2004/03/22/midlist/index_np.html--from a moderately successful midlist writer who's now struggling. And hordes and hordes of people wrote in to bitch and complain (some thoughtfully, some not). Interesting reading for those who want to know more about this strange thing

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1079857548680639622004-03-21T03:20:00.000-05:002004-03-21T03:28:15.280-05:00

Wow. I haven't updated in a while. Pi day was fun. Lots of fun. I've forgotten what it's like to be around nature. And out in the cold snowy wilderness, but you're not cold, because you're trying to keep pace with an *insanely fast* hiker...going up the top of a mountain... Now if only I could find a different job. I'm tired of working nights. I'm tired of dealing (although there are those who

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1077818940877884222004-02-26T13:03:00.000-05:002004-02-26T13:11:04.140-05:00

So, "Absurdities," my evening of one-acts is going very well. My parents came down to see it last night, as did nylorac and Sarah OS. Opening night was a little tricky--we only got 3 hours in the space, *period,* for tech, which, for a show that's a little over an hour, is not long at all. Grrr. Also, we had a totally dead audience. I squirmed with discomfort through the second show, when they

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1077818600792607642004-02-26T12:59:00.000-05:002004-02-26T13:05:24.106-05:00

As I hurried into the 79th st. downtown 1/9 subway station, the train was just pulling out. Drat, I thought to myself, it's 12:30 AM. Going to have to wait for a while. As it turned out, I only had to wait five minutes, but I was still mildly annoyed. (To get home, I take the 1/9 to 42nd St. and transfer to the N/W into Queens.) But as I was walking along the platform, who should I see but...

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1076916412929307822004-02-16T02:22:00.001-05:002004-02-16T02:28:45.500-05:00

You know what *really*, really sucks? When there's only one show you watch on TV, and it's the best show on TV, and you find out...it's getting cancelled. Yah. Angel, the best show on TV, currently having its best season, and the show that now defines the WB, is getting yanked at the end of this season. Joss Whedon, one of my personal writing heroes, is going to be out of work. (I hear he's

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1076562113938681442004-02-11T23:51:00.000-05:002004-02-12T00:03:42.716-05:00

I've been wanting to write something about New York City for a while. And particularly, these guys. So here you go. "MetalMen" by Greg Machlin The metal men stand in the Times Square Subway station, where most of the subway lines in Manhattan intersect—the 1/9, the N/W, the—oh who the hell cares, 294 million people in this country don’t live in New York. Let’s just say there are a

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1075956673726847962004-02-04T23:49:00.000-05:002004-02-04T23:52:54.700-05:00

I hate it when you only have one TV show you watch on a regular basis, and that show is really, really good, and you've missed two new episodes for various reasons, and you finally get a chance to see a new episode for the first time in 3 weeks... and you take a nap and miss more than half the episode despite setting an alarm. Well, at least the last twenty minutes of *Angel* were good...sigh...

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1075542523652409042004-01-31T04:41:00.000-05:002004-01-31T04:50:20.076-05:00

Writing: not enough. I'm trying to write lyrics to a Hannakuh song, among other things. We'll see how it goes. Listening to: "No Way to Treat a Lady," a musical to rival "City of Angels"--an astounding piece of work. It's based on a William Goldman novel with a frustrated cop and frustrated serial killer, both with mother problems. Only four actors--two men, two women. Wish I'd known about this

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1075541522496094682004-01-31T04:17:00.000-05:002004-01-31T04:33:39.090-05:00

What you have to know about the link below is that my newest play is about Satan. It's called "Hell's Basket," and it starts with the premise that--okay, several premises. The first is that Ruler of Hell is an office which periodically changes: there have been approximately 15-17 Lords of Hell. As the play opens, the current Satan, an incompetent pothead, has been called before an oversight

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1074761692168813152004-01-22T03:50:00.000-05:002004-01-22T03:56:19.326-05:00

Apologies--this blog is going political again. It's the times, folks. So, in his SOTU, Bush quoted a letter (gag) from a ten-year-old named Ashley Pearson, from Rhode Island. The letter was probably real. But Ashley was asking what she could do to help the country & the troops. Bush's--or rather, Karl Rove's response: Stay in School, thank the people in uniform, and obey your parents. One of

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1074141470526861282004-01-14T23:31:00.000-05:002004-01-14T23:39:10.840-05:00

My sister introduced me to what may be the funniest website I have ever seen. It's www.homestarrunner.com. It's a bunch of strange animated characters...doing their thing. Go there. Go there now. In particular, go to the section where the character Strongbad answers e-mail about caffeine and a kids' book he wrote. Anyway, I've mostly kept my blog non-political, but I had to get this off my chest

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1073809249352832032004-01-11T03:14:00.000-05:002004-01-11T03:22:06.106-05:00

Thanks to J., I'm now reading "Condensed Chaos," by Phil Hine, about magic. Actual, bona-fide magic and how to do it. I'm just starting out, so I'm just keeping it to meditation. We'll see what happens. Somebody actually used this blog to get in touch with me--a friend of a friend I haven't seen in years. It's a happy warm fuzzy moment. I need to be careful about not getting sucked in by

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1072688643395429522003-12-29T03:59:00.000-05:002003-12-29T04:05:07.513-05:00

And, following lopolis (http://collections. lopolis.com) and parenthetical's (http://parenthetical.net) (yes, I know, some day I'll learn html) leads, the year in twenty words or less: NYC: "Mnemonic" Produced!, Better apartment, Wrote play about vampires. Next: better job (still at bookstore.) Family, friends, no girlfriend (yet). Too listy for me. Maybe I'll turn it into a play. "The Year In

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1071730194263718342003-12-18T01:44:00.000-05:002003-12-18T01:50:46.983-05:00

A polite man with an adorable, cute four-year-old daughter comes up to information. He's looking for information on our Graphic Novels/Illustrators section. "Specifically, I heard there was this new version of the Metamorphosis, but--illustrated, I think..." Juan, my fellow info-ninja, doesn't instantly know, but I know. "Oh yeah, the new Metamorphosis, adapted by Peter Kuper. Yeah, he's a good

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1071562478952825502003-12-16T03:09:00.000-05:002003-12-16T03:15:30.043-05:00

...you get ushered into it by Oskar Eustis. Go Oskar!!! Of course, given that he commissioned the damn thing, you'd think they could have given him a small speaking role, but oh well... Perhaps he will direct a play of mine someday (said Greg, fantasizing wildly.) Speaking of, I just submitted "Myths, Legends, Outright Lies" to the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab. There are 600 applications

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1070686063726801892003-12-05T23:47:00.000-05:002003-12-05T23:48:24.360-05:00

Oh yeah--I also got rid of all my messy duplicate posts, and cleaned up a really strangely spaced early post that I cut & pasted from imood.

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1070685989306295362003-12-05T23:41:00.000-05:002003-12-05T23:47:09.966-05:00

It's snowing in New York! Magic! Okay, so I'm a sucker for snow. Snow makes everything softer and quiets the city, and it covers up the grime and dust and dirt, and there's something about the way the flakes fall slowly down that's much more satisfying than rain. Also, we got to leave early from B&N tonight. Frantically revising: Myths, Legends, Outright Lies so I can get it off by Dec. 15 to

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1070093718225599372003-11-29T03:12:00.000-05:002003-11-29T03:24:00.360-05:00

I was on a writing roll with "Myths, Legends, Outright Lies," but I had a misfire this week with a one-act "The Collaborative Process." I think I just whipped it into shape. Revision is such a pain. Then again, it separates the wheat from the chaff, both in terms of writing and writers. (Of course, before I could revise tonight, I had to watch "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which I

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1069120673880271002003-11-17T20:57:00.000-05:002003-11-17T20:58:17.263-05:00

Austin is an interesting place. Too much sprawl, too many roads, not enough subway/mass transportation. I was glad to visit it, but I wouldn't want to live there. Not over New York, anyway. Filming "The Kent Show" went very well. We encountered some difficulties--at the end of the first day of shooting, the DV tape was almost eaten; luckily, the guy at the video store we rented the camera from

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1067929401994148162003-11-04T01:57:00.000-05:002003-11-04T02:03:20.706-05:00

If any computer-minded people know how I might post my *entire* play online in a less unwieldy format, any advice would be appreciated... or, say, some one-acts. I just watched another episode of "Carnivale" tonight, and I think it's brilliant. Michael J. Anderson, the dwarf who plays Samson (the carnival manager) is amazing. The one thing I haven't written yet is a TV spec script. (I had an

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1067928953207043532003-11-04T01:47:00.000-05:002003-11-04T01:55:51.196-05:00

So this is what I've been working on for the past...well, I don't know. Four months at least. I first wrote the first scene back in December or January (can't remember which), after I saw a special order book for a customer whose last name was an exotic Eastern European--like Von Rachtenstein, something like that--and whose first name was "Clem." I found this indisputably hysterical--how could

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362964.post-1067760627969602152003-11-02T03:05:00.000-05:002003-11-02T03:10:26.836-05:00

Heading off to Austin on Tuesday--flying for the first time in four years. I just haven't had cause to leave the Northeast. Going to be working on a video project with Kent Roberts. Listening to: "Guys and Dolls." Frank Loesser is brilliant. How did I not come across this musical until four months ago?! I missed a chance to see my friend Zack Cates do it in high school (where are you, Zack?) He

Gregnoreply@blogger.com0