My First Kiss

No, I'm not going to tell you about mine. That would be way too embarrassing. My First Kiss is the title of one of my screenplays. A couple of my screenwriting friends have thrown down the gauntlet. Post a page from a script we've written. I got it from Pooks and The Unknown Screenwriter, who got it from Michael.

So, I guess for the screenwriters who stop by here and don't already know about...I am now throwing the gauntlet at you. Post one random page of any screenplay you've written over the past year. And don't ask me why. I have no idea. It's not a competition. There's no prizes. Maybe just an opportunity to size up the competition.

For my rock 'n' roll readers, feel free to peruse my page and let me know what you think. And if you feel so inspired, why not take a shot and write a page yourself. You might discover you have talent. Then you just need to add another 100-110 pages and you'll have a completed screenplay. After that's done, send it to somebody in Hollywood (everybody's looking for the next great screenplay) and they'll give you a million dollars. Too bad My First Kiss isn't for sale...I'm producing this one myself...well, not exactly by myself. Film is a collaborative process, after all.

(click image to enlarge)

As usual, comments are welcome.

26 Years Gone

Pull out your Led Zeppelin II CD and crank up Moby Dick.

May 31, 1948 - September 25, 1980

A Promise is a Promise...Tom Waits

Update
The Tom Waits poster and limited edition photographs
are available...run, don't walk to my website.

Update - 4/11/07
The Tom Waits prints will be for sale by the end of next week.
Check out what's available HERE.

A few weeks ago the Tom Waits For No Man blog heard that I had some old TomWaits pictures up. Suddenly, I had hundreds of TW fans linking to my Self Deprecation post. The point of the post was to show that I was capable of taking not-so-great photographs, using all five shots of TW from when he opened a Frank Zappa concert in Vancouver. I balanced the bad pics out with one decent photo I took at the Troubadour the following year. Still, the TW fans were kind. They even commented that they liked the photos. So after bunches of people had stopped by, I edited the post promising to put up a few more.

Here they are - never-before-seen photographs - shot at the Troubadour the second week of August, 1975.

Please chime in in the comments if you can identify the sax player
and the guy on the upright bass. I like this photo - it really gives
the feel of his show...the stack of papers he's clutching
and all the cigarette butts on the floor.

He had a lot of hair topple out when he took off the hat.

I love this photograph. Putting it in my Top Five along
with the Led Zeppelin pic (second post down).

And now for a pre-announcement announcement. Since the inception of my book, I had always planned to have gallery openings to kick off the book drop (can I use drop for publishing or is that just for CDs?), with Limited Editions of the photographs available for sale. And I thought I would follow that with Limited Editions of some of my other photographs not in the book.

Recently, I've been encouraged to release the Limited Edition prints of photographs that won't be in the book before the publication...as in soon. I am currently researching all the logistics of this endeavor. Such as, finding a lab I want to work with, finding a framer, deciding on how many prints per Edition (I'm thinking 50-100, possibly in three different sizes), how much they will cost, and how I'm going to set up a retail site.

The one thing I have decided on...I'll be launching with a Tom Waits photograph. Please email me (deborah@cheshercat.com) if you want to be notified before the Tom Waits Edition hits the streets. And, if you have an opinion on which photo I should launch with.

Please let me know in the comments who else you might want to see in future Limited Editions. If I haven't shot them, I'll guide you to someone who has.

Title Poll

This is my first attempt at running a poll on my blog. If it works this will be your chance to weigh in on the title of my book.

Why would I do that? I put a notice up on a Led Zeppelin message board (check it out - it's a cool site) to let other fans know about my book and the never-before-seen photo of Plant and Page. And I got a lot of nice responses on the board put also a few that said my book title was "off-putting" "not very sensitive" and "rather cold."

This question was raised in a more general form in one of my previous posts, Do Ya' Think I'm Morbid? and received a few comments. But the great thing about this poll, if it works, is you can vote anonymously. No need to show your face. No names taken. You just need to have an opinion.

So, I really want to know what you all think. New visitors and regulars alike. Click your answer below.



If you have more to say than "yes" or "no" please make a comment. Feel free to rail away on me...I can take it.

And thanks to all the Led Zeppelin fans and recent congregation of Tom Waits fans for stopping by!

Led Zeppelin

It feels so good to be back with my pictures. So much writing in the past month, where the only pictures were conjured up scenes in my head. Scanning some Led Zeppelin was the perfect remedy for my rewrite burnout.

If you've been reading this blog since its inception, or have taken the time to peruse the archives, you know I love Led Zeppelin.

From the day I purchased Led Zeppelin II, I have loved Led Zeppelin. And, thankfully, I never get tired of them. I never skip over their songs when my iPod is on shuffle. And when I write and am having trouble igniting my creative juices, it's Led Zeppelin that I turn on to turn me on.

No surprise that I listened to a lot of Led Zeppelin over the past several weeks. They really helped me cross the finish line with my latest rewrite. Thanks, boys.

Since I promised to post a rock'n'roll picture, I decided it had to be Led Zeppelin. Can't give you any John Bonham - saving him for the book. I am, however, showing you one of my favorites. Actually, if I had to pick my favorite photograph from everything I've shot, this could be it. Definitely in my top five. I don't know why. It doesn't even show their faces. But for me, it has a lot of "feel." I hope you agree.


I still want to put this one in the book, even though in my less than scientific poll, everyone said "dead guys only, unless they're in the picture with the live guys." I might just have to composite Bonzo in here somewhere. Maybe a close-up of his face ghosted in the background, as if he's watching them from heaven. (I'm really, really good with phtoshop.)

***This and all other photos posted on this site fall under my copyright. Please do not download them or reproduce them in any form without my written consent. Thank you!***

Hallelujah...

...I finished!

Heard the producer dude is itching to read it.

My printer is spitting out two double-sided copies of said finished script as I type this.

Turning them over to my person in less than an hour.

Then I'm going out to celebrate.

I'll be back here tomorrow and post some rock'n'roll photos. If you want to see anyone in particular throw me a comment and I'll see what I can do.

Rats

I have decided that being a screenwriter is the same as being a lab rat. You get inside a story/maze and run around bashing your furry little head into one wall after another. Every once in a while you find an opening and charge forward. Then you hit another wall. And then you have to go back and find another path.

Why do we keep going?

Because we can smell the cheese.

I am not done with my rewrite. And my furry little head hurts.

Time Crunch - Part Trois

So my prayer was answered. They took a long time to read Act 1. Twelve days, to be exact. Too bad I didn't take advantage of it. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, scroll down and read Time Crunch and Time Crunch - Part Deux)

Today's email from my person relating the message from their person (the one who requested the first act) (I'm wondering if that person only works on weekends):

Subject - Hey, Deep End Babe... (That's from my person and there is no way I can explain that subject, so we'll just have to go with 'inside joke')

Guess what?

>>"I read your first act. It is interesting. Please send a hard copy of your screenplay."

I think this means you'll be writing faster.

I'll be glad to take a cat-o-nine-tails to your ass. And after that I'll do something to get you to write faster. (Pleasure before business, I always say.)

Hondele Pronto Godammit

-- Zorro

(OK, just so you know...that last part was in jest...no sexual harrassment lawsuits will be filed) (...and my person is not really Zorro - he just played one on TV (also a joke))

So, like I said...too bad I didn't take full advantage of those twelve days. I still have 9 new scenes to write and 22 scenes to rewrite. Then, of course, there's the read-through for all my fuck-ups and another pass to polish.

I will be calling on a couple of my friends - you know who you are - for quick reads. If you don't want to hear from me, let me know. If you want to hear from me, let me know. I won't be calling on Zorro to take his cat-o-nine-tails to my ass.

I'm in a heap o' trouble here...........HELP!!!!

Oh yeah, I also wish to keep this anti-jinx thing going. (figure I have to mention it to keep it going)

And Happy Labor Day to those of you who are in labor.