Hollywood and the Web

Sorry, dear readers, for the way overdue promised summary of "Webolution! Hollywood Adapts to the Web" panel from the Sundance Film Festival '08. As mentioned, Kara Swisher did a great job filming and summarizing this panel on All Things D. But here are my notes and thoughts on this hot topic.

Let me preface by saying I have never understood why the monolithic music and production companies get their panties in a bunch about their trailers or song snippets circling the web. Yes, yes, I am not so stupid as to overlook the copyright and piracy issues where millions of dollars are at stake. I'm talking about folks like Viacom who take down clips from YouTube in the name of copyright protection. As a marketer, I want to hit them over the head with a frying pan, "Don't you know how much this branding and press is worth in the long run? It will help drive viewership, paid downloads, album sales, etc. if you give people a taste and a tease." It is SO frustrating to me. I did ask this question and the panel basically said, "Those that get it, will win. Those that don't will fall behind." OK...I guess. But a young filmmaker in the audience did say that her trailer on YouTube kept up steady DVD sales - until she got into the Tribeca Film Festival who made her take the trailer down for the duration of their festival. Her DVD sales ground to a halt. I'm not saying....I'm just saying.

But I digress. The panel:

• Ted Sarandos, Netflix (in charge of a lot of their subscription service for original content, as well as DVD's)
• Dmitry Shaprio, Veoh.com (a site that offers a one stop shop portal for content. The content is still streamed from Veoh, no matter where it's linked, so viewership can be tracked)
• Dan Glickman, CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
• Jason Kilar, Hulu.com (another content network; a News Corp and NBC Universal joint venture)
• Mike Volpi, Joost.com
• Erik Flanagan, Digital Media, MTV Networks/Comedy Central/Southpark Studios (he is helping the South Park guys with their digital strategy - they are one of the view content providers in tradition media actually putting thought into giving access and monetizing this new media)
• Phil Lelyveld, Entertainment Technology Strategic Advisor (read: consultant. Also was a big wig at Disney)

If I could sum up the main theme of how Hollywood is embracing the web it would be "trial and error." Studios and traditional media do get that they need to embrace all these new distribution channels, but they are just not sure how to do it responsibly and quite frankly, in the way that makes them the most money. Fair enough. The monetization issue came up in question after question. Some of the panelists see people trying different things in this new Wild West. They all had various opinions about which model will win out: ad supported (the most popular one that they feel Google is making more efficient), premium subscription based (a la Netflix). There was no argument among the panelists that any model needs good, relevant content to succeed no matter what. Nice to see they are keeping their eyes on the ball here.

What are the major challenges with video over the Web today? Answers ranged from "availability of good content" to "finding the right niche" to "protecting intellectual property" (care of the MPAA) to "monetizing the new viewing habits" as mentioned above. The interesting note on this discussion was that much of the uncertainty has been justified in the name of "artist protection" but the panel got to the heart of it and said monetization was more of a real concern that the altruistic positions. That was refreshing.

Many felt access to the good content is the main issue in consumer choice, whether it's through poorly regulated broadband access (a side discussion ensued about how the US lags behind other countries like Japan in universal high-speed Internet from the government vs. what competition has done in this country to slow us down) or finding a single place to aggregate relevant content. Think beyond YouTube, which shows actual short films with videos of Johnny's cat playing poker. That's like having one TV channel and expecting to appeal to the History Channel and G4 audiences all at the same time. How can advertisiers expect to get behind that kind of scattershot ad model? They can't, so until there are niche avenues for content, the advertisers might wait.

The other tangent this took us down was advertising on the web in general. Interestingly enough, these new media are showing actual viewers, length of time viewed, traffic sources - basically data that is not available in traditional media. The old guard has often priced advertising based on algorithmic extrapolations and padded assumptions (for example, the pass along statistics magazines cite to pump up their ad costs) and they were never questioned. Now the Web comes along with trackable metrics and the numbers are appalling in some cases, but usually REAL. So maybe it's not that web advertising doesn't work, but that advertising measurement in general was always flawed and now the curtain has been pulled back. Discuss.

Most talent is not really thinking about their digital distribution strategy, except for the South Park guys. They have created a whole web property where users can take parts of their content and then augment it and virally distribute it. This is a bold move with all the piracy concerns, but as we see from You Tube and social sites like Facebook and MySpace, user-generated and customized content is the name of the game. You have to give a little to get a little and very few artists embrace this philosophy because it requires a lot of trust and connection with your audience.

Everyone generally felt "movie screens would never die out" but the new media has indeed impacted the traditional distribution windows by which the film industry has lived and died. "Windows" are like when a movie is released and only in theatres for a while; then it goes to cable; then to DVD and never the windows shall overlap. Until now. 2929 Entertainment did some experimentation with concurrent windows on some of their films ("Syriana", I believe). And HBO and Netflix did a deal with "Pan's Labrynth" to have the DVD window open the same time as the cable window - as the Netflix guy so aptly stated, "And the sky didn't fall and we all got paid well." So seems those willing to structure win-win deals and take the chance can meet their objectives.

Finally, the other main point was that content producers need to not just see the Web as another distribution channel, where they simply take their content from one media and port it directly to your browser. Thought needs to go up the value chain so that content can be created distinctly for these multiple channels. Anything that succeeds on the web is highly specialized, and soon specific skills for Internet or Cell Phone fimmakers will be in demand from a creative perspective. For example, panoramic shots may work well in a movie theatre or on your 62" Flat Screen but not on small square of video on your laptop or on your iPhone. Also, to the point made earlier, viewers may want to interact with that content in a new way and add self-generated content, recommend to friends and a whole host of other personalization options. One panelist noted, "If there is a free flow of content, piracy goes away because you have eliminated the friction."

Some companies to watch that may help push this digital envelope are Facebook, Google, and ironically some of the folks on this panel.

The panel was great. I was concerned at how they'd balance all the speakers, but they were all to the point and brief, and the conversation was lively. Kara pulls no punches and inserts her own opinions, often challening panelists on their answers to go beyond the PR-approved sound bit. Well done.

The overall relevance for Indie film makers is clear: the distribution opportunities are increasing and this is good news. Especially for short films. For example, in the old world, short films could only aspire to film festivals like Sundance and then there was no mass market for them. Now they can get picked up for distribution on Netflix, iTunes and......wait for it.....XBOX Live. Yes the same evil box that sucks your spouse into Halo 3 has a service to offer short films for download. And bingo, there's a whole new market and channel for the filmmaker's voice.

The next few years should be very exciting on this front. And it also inspired me to maybe produce my short film idea this year after all. But of course, that is always the effect Sundance has on me. Hey, does anyone have stats showing a spike in sales of HD cameras and Final Cut software right after the festival? Hmmmmm.....

Celeb Spotting Update

I was informed by my partner in crime, Carrie, that the good looking guy at Bar Boheme was indeed Tom Welling from "Smallville." Sometimes, there are just really pretty people at Sundance who look like they SHOULD be famous or something, so it's hard to tell. Of course, this was the guy who I think was wondering why I was the only one not hitting on him as I stood next to him waiting for Carrie to come back from the Ladies Room!

Sundance '08: "I totally admire, like, musicians, and stuff."

Sundance '08 brought me home with the memory of Quentin Tarantino bumping into me (literally) in my hotel lobby and a stomach bug. Enjoying a shorter stay than in years past, I ate, drank, and celeb-spotted by way up and down Main Street for only 2 days and 3 nights.

This year, the festival tipped the scales at about 50,000 - up about 10k from last year according to the word on the street. I only started going 5 years ago, but I have never seen it this crowded or crazy. Time was, you could easily get individual film tickets online beforehand (even though that system is as painful as a sharp stick in the eye - Silicon Valley, please hook these guys up....) or just wait a bit in the Wait List line and 4 out of 5 times you were golden. Not the case this year. First off, not everyone registered even received an online ticket buying window (my partner in crime being one of them) and us "lucky" few who did were met with most everything being already sold on when we logged in, leaving the scraps - to which you couldn't even get THOSE tickets. Once you clicked to buy, you got an error message that it was indeed not available. Headache.

We managed to get into 2 films on the waitlist, and a panel so all was not lost. First up was "Good Dick" written, directed by and starring Marianna Palka, an adorable Scottish lass with some weighty ties in Hollywood. While this was her first script, she got her friend Jason Ritter on board, who in turn got Charles Durning in for a cameo (not too shabby) and she also snagged Tom Arnold for the role of her abusive father. I totally admire that she pretty much did this film as a resume piece - she admitted to writing it with all intents of starring in it - and that is good, since the odd dysfunctional and provocative premise of the film leaves little room for mass distribution. But the art is the thing, right? The movie centers around a sexually damaged woman who rents erotica every day from her local video store. Jason Ritter is the adorable puppy dog/whipping post who decides to reach out (in almost stalker like proportions) to this girl, thus creating one of the most disturbing and dysfunctional relationships since Brian the Dog's infatuation with Lois on "The Family Guy." Not sure the characters were likeable enough for me, but I appreciated the moments of black humor and the idea that humans can and must find love in the most unorthodox ways. Palka stated the film cost about $1M to make, which surprised me based on what I saw, but she also chose to film in L.A. which never helps.

We tried to get into some other films, but ended up lucking into "Chronic Town" instead. This isolated tale of a flawed cab driver in Fairbanks, Alaska follows his quest to find friendship and connection after he is dumped by his girlfriend. The desolate, "nothing changes here" locale was perfect for the film's mood and the director, Tom Hines, thanked his producers (which include his now wife) profusely for supporting his desire that they could not film anywhere else. The film starts JR Bourne, a very attractive model-type who they tried to "scruff up" for the role of Truman, an alcoholic, pot smoking mess of a guy. Watch for this guy, I think he'll go far. He managed to make his character wholly likeable while being a complete loser. The acting and production of this film was stellar, but again as with "Good Dick" I felt like the character arc was little plodding.

We wanted to see such films as "The Last Word" about a guy who writes suicide notes for a living; and"Sunshine Cleaning" starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt, two of my fave actresses, as sisters who start a bioharzard crime scene clean up service. But alas, we took what we could.

For more info on other Sundance films, click here for an alphabetical list.

The panel was called "Webolution! Hollywood Adapts to the Web" and was moderated by Kara Swisher of All Things D. This killer panel was small (we were lucky to get in) and had a great group of industry heavies, ranging from the CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, to the heads of Joost, Vioh and HuLu to the guy who does emerging media content distribution for Comedy Central, Spike and other MTV properties. Check out Kara's site for her video of the panel (and her celeb/friend guide Jane Lynch who I also saw - loved her in Best in Show and 40 Year Old Virgin) and I'll write more on another post. This panel was the perfect blend of my high-tech experience and love for the entertainment industry. Hmmmm, maybe I need to make that leap after all......

Celebs spotted this year: Marcia Gay Harden (who looks about a size 0 and 10 years younger than she does on screen), Colin Farrell, ("He's very short and has a big head" says Carrie) David Boreanaz (from Angel and Bones - sat drinking next to him at Bar Boheme), Stanley Tucci (as he impressively naivigated the Main Street sidewalk while doing an interview), Dylan Walsh of "Nip/Tuck" (dining a few tables over at Cafe Terigo), Tom Arnold, Jason Ritter, Rachel Hunter (who doesn't really look all that tall but is still stunning), Dennis Quaid (with a posse he was having as much luck getting into the Queer Lounge party as me and Carrie had, which made us not feel so bad), Marc Jacobs (I have to give this one to Carrie, since I had no clue), Jane Lynch (once on the street, graciously having fun taking pics with people and then again at the Web panel), Harvey Weinstein (with a bevy of blond assistants - they looked like duckings, all huddled around him as they walked). And as mentioned at this post's start, Quentin Tarantino in the lobby of my hotel. We smiled and said hello, but I just didn't have it in me to be "that girl" and say "I love your work. Here's my card. Call me if Uma is not available." Damn it! Then he ran into me when he came back in to the lobby. He's kind of like that clumsy lovable friend you had in High School who is scared of girls. I love that the man who can dream up Lucy Liu's character in Kill Bill is really just a goofy guy. Classic.

I also met a key fundraiser for the Seattle Film Festival in my airport shuttle, so watch this space on how I might get involved with that this year.

So overall: more crowds, less films for me to get into, more celebs spotted (this happens when you go towards the beginning of the festival rather than towards the end), typical inane artistic conversations and loud cell phone conversations about deals and PR. "We need to go through him to get her and I think that would be a win, so let's just offer her what she wants."

Viva la independent film.

This Just In....Golden Globes Winners

Well, the Golden Globes "Winners Special" aired last night on NBC. One nice neat hour of award categories and winner announcments wrapped up in a sweet little bow. I predicted that maybe people would like this format better then the painful 3+ hour spectacle that we are used to. But I have to admit, I missed the emotion, the tension, and the glamour.

Note: I found out later there was some other telecast/press conference with Mary Hart and some people, as well as Larry King coverage? I am so confused - I just thought this was aired on NBC)

And I can say that I have found something even more grating than the stupid teleprompter banter between award presenters. It's the stupid banter between cheesy Nancy O'Dell of Access Hollywood and Billy Bush. It was like watching two work colleagues who don't really like each other too much passively aggressively trying to act like they are chummy and charming. Nancy is actually not half bad as an entertainment reporter and host, but Billy has GOT to go.

What was more painful then a Turkish prison was the random cutaways to Shaun Robinson and Shaun Robinson and Dave Karger, Sr. Writer Entertainment Weekly. He was decent, she was dreadful. Where did they find this woman? She actually made you appreciate experienced entertainment hosts for the skills you never realized they possess, because she just could not comment or interview worth a damn. Maybe this quote will illustrate: Dave was making some pretty intelligent commentary as the award winners were announced, talking about the work, surprises, etc. Shaun pipes in as they lead to a break, "Ok, More assessment to come . This is fun!" Did someone hire their little sister for this or what?

The evening started out with Nancy and Billy basically saying there would be no big awards show this year because the writers are on strike and wow, that sucks. Backed by a glitzy golden-themed podium set that looked like leftover props from about 10 different past Globes telecasts, the conservatively dressed hosts could have at leats worn a gown and tux to jazz it up a bit. Instead it looked like a typical Entertainment Tonight episode or something.

Now we all know these awards would lose the dramatic tension by not panning the audience and zooming in on the hopeful faces of the nominees, as the presenters gleefully rip open the envelope. That 2-3 second moment is full of promise and anticipation. Sweat beads, smiles freeze and everyone holds their breath. "And the Golden Globe goes to...." Sweet, sweet words. But as with the choice of clothing, did they have to make it SO anti-climactic? Not even for us viewers but for the hardworking people who, for the first time, were being recognized for their work for maybe the very first time. What a gyp. A factory-installed synthesizer beat played as they announced the winner like the 10-day weather forecast. It was like watching a corporate video. Did the music composers go on strike too or something?

NBC tried to sprinkle in some online trivia and prediction tie ins to NBC.com, which was a nice attempt to make things a little different. But overall, I've seen better awards presentation at a corporate Sales Kick Off. The devil is in the details, my friends.

So now the nitty gritty: The Globes! Some highlights and surprises:

Best Supporting Actress - Film: Cate Blanchett won for playing a man, Bob Dylan, in "I'm Not There" which just goes to show cross-dressing is always a big awards show hit. Tilda Swinton was nominated for "Michael Clayton" which I did not yet see (I know George, I'm sorry sweetie) but she is always deliciously deep in her roles. And since I did catch "Atonement" I'd like to give a shout out to Saoirse Ronan, the little girl who played Briony at age 13. This talented, intense girl will surely be seen again. She was wonderfully solemn and chilling.

Best supporting TV actor: Jeremy Piven for "Entourage." He is brilliant in this role of the agent you love to hate. But I think he keeps winning because Hollywood can identify with this tenacious character a little TOO closely.

Best Actress - TV Drama: Edie Falco had one last hurrah for "The Sopranos" but the winner was Glenn Close for "Damages" I have not seen the show, but even just the clips were powerful. This woman gets better and better (and more beautiful) with age. Thumbs down to the team responsible for submittimg Holly Hunter's clip for "Saving Grace" - you could not even hear her dialogue with all the background noise in the scene - that was their best example? Someone should get fired.

Best Supporting TV Actress: While my faves Rachel Griffiths and "My Name is Earl"'sJamie Pressley were nominated talented Samantha Morton took it for "Longford." She was brilliant as a killer with a soft side. She's done amazing work over the years and I'm glad to see her have her day in the sun.

Best Actor TV Drama - Huge upset here. The winner was John Hamm for "Mad Men" - the AMC series about the advertising industry in the 60's. I had been wanting to catch this show and now I think I'll seek it out. This is the first major series for AMC. Hamm beat out Hugh Laurie, Michael C. Hall, and Bill Paxton for this one. Consistent with the M.O. of the Globes, they once again crowned a talented new underdog the winner. This is why I love the Globes - they really take to new work and new faces.

Best Animated Film: Ratatouille take the cake (tee hee hee). A Disney film for foodies? It was very enjoyable so catch it if you haven't. Other nominees; The Bee Movie (please just go away) and The Simpsons's Movie - why? Oh, Ratatouille brought in $616M worldwide - I guess rats are nothing to laugh at.

Best Actress Motion Picture Comedy or Musical - Another surprise here. Marion Cotillard beat out Ellen Page, Amy Adams, Nikki Blonsky, Helena Bonham Carter. Cotillard played Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose." Having seen Ellen Page in "Juno" I was sad she didn't win - she was just a delight. But I'm sure we'll see more of her.

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Javier Bardem as the creepy villain in the Coen Brothers' "No Country for Old Men." From what I've read, this was not much of a surprise. What WAS a surprise was finding out his girlfriend is Penelope Cruz??! Go Javier!

Best Actress Minseries or TV Movie: Queen Latifah for "Life Support" which was a Sundance pick. She beat out Debra Messing and Sissy Spacek. Debra has not won after 7 nominations. I'm seeing shades of Susan Lucci forming.

Best Actor TV Series-Comedy: In the "Maybe I don't watch as much TV as I feared becasue I have no idea about this show"category, David Duchovny won for "Californication". He beat out Steve Carell ("The Office") Ricky Gervais ("Extras"), and "Pushing Daisies" guy Lee Paisley. All the other actors except newcomer Paisely has won a Globe before, so the Hollywood Foreign Press seems to be spreading the love.

Best TV Comedy: HBO's "Extras" wins over 30 Rock and some others. Is HBO a hit factory or what? This show is deliciously painful to watch, as we come to expect from the BBC's "The Office" creator Gervais.

Best Actress TV Comedy: Yay Tina Fey for "30 Rock" - hurrah!!!

BTW: Steven Speilberg was supposed to get the Cecil B. DeMille award for life's work but this was postponed to next year. What a bummer for him.

Best Director: Huge upset here. Julian Schnabel wins for "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly" over Tim Burton, Ethan and Joel Coen, Ridley Scott, and Joe Wright. Quite a coup. I think this is the movie about the guy who writes his life story by only communicating through blinking one eye or something? (OK, so maybe I don't have a career writing movie trailers.....)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical: Johnny Depp for "Sweeney Todd". 7 time nominee and this is his first win. Although from the clip, it looked like he was phoning it in and I would never say that about him under normal circumstances. Maybe it was just a bad clip from the movie. But hats off to the Hollywood Foreign Press for nominating goofiness guru John C Reilly for the Johnny Cash spoof, "Walk Hard". Glad to see they have sense of humor.

Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical: Nominees include "Across the Universe" (WTF?), "Charlie Wilson's War", "Hairspray", "Juno", "Sweeney Todd". And the winner is "Sweeney Todd". This was the 5th time Johnny collaborated with Tim Burton and I advise him to continue to do so!

Best TV Drama Series: Another surprise here: Winner is AMC's "Mad Men". They gave an award to John Hamm from the show and here it beats out "Big Love", "Damages", "Grey's Anatomy", "House" and "The Tudors". Wow. The HFP must really love this show, but then again they are known for picking that talented underdog and standing by it.

Best Actress Motion Pic: Julie Christie wins it for portraing a woman debilitated by Alzheimer's in "Away From Her" (a Sundance pick) after last beng nominated 33 years ago for Shampoo. Wow. What an upset. I thought for sure it was to be a neck and neck between Angelina and Keira.

Best Actor Motion Picture Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis for "There Will Be Blood" about oil barons based on Upton Sinclair's novel, "Oil!" Nods went to James McAvoy for "Atonement", Viggo Mortenson "Eastern Promises", Denzel "American Gangster".

Best Picture - Drama: "Atonment" wins. The movie is beaufifully shot and just a sweeping epic romance if you're into that.

So nada for "Juno" or "Michael Clayton". On a side note, Juno was quirky, funny and sweet. It reminded me of a Wes Anderson flick, a la "Rushmore" or "Life Aquatic" but not quite as out there. The dialogue was snappy and the acting on point. Highly recommend.

Well, we'll see what happens at Oscar time. I hope the strike is over not just for the excessive awards show, but to bring back talented stories. Onward!

Stop Touching that Sick Monkey!

A little Flight of the Conchords to usher in the weekend - these guys are classic and this song is a good one.

Bon Weekend!

Golden Globes, Elections, and The Colbert Report

Sense the randomness? Lots going on in my world this week and since I had little time to get back on my culinary tour bus through Seattle - bar food and beer was the great call last Friday night - I'd like to comment on a few things going on in our world.

First of all, the Golden Globes have been cancelled. With all the hullabaloo over crossing the picket line, many actors were not even going to show up anyway. I'm not sure how it all works, but also, who would write the pithy banter and musical sendups? So word on the street is that the awards will be annonced via an hour-long news conference (which the writers union is skeptical about as a wolf in sheep's clothing - there's also a whole other drama unfolding about whether dick clark productions is involved or not. I can't keep up with this "All My Children" incestuousness).

They'd better be careful: people may like this more no-nonsense format better if it means we get a reprieve from watching Jack Nicholson chew gum like a cow munching hay and from inarticulate acceptance speeches from people who speak for a living. We'll see.

The Hollywood Foreign Press is sad, the networks and advertisers are sad, and of course, imagine being Nikki Blonsky or Ellen Page as your dream of being nominated and possibily accepting a prestigious award has been dashed against the silent Mac keyboards and cobwebbed printers laying like ancient relics in writers' offices all over Hollywood.

My entertainment guru friend, Melanie, even brought up the point of all the money and promotion being lost by as-of-yet-undiscovered clothing and jewelry designers who get their chops by adorning young starlets. Don't cry too much, kids, you'll stain the silk chiffon.

In the grand scheme of all that is going on in the world, this is nothing, really. But it is a bit of fun, glitz and glamour that I am sad to miss out on. And who knows what this bodes for the Oscars come February?

On my second topic, did you guys know there are elections going on? No? Well, let me kindly remove that rock from your head and hose all that mud out of your hair. Maybe I'm more aware or go out partying less, but it seems I've never seen such pervasive primary coverage before. I don't remember ever being this involved and informed on what was going on at the caucases. Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. But I get hopeful when I see seas of people, smiling and energetic ,ready to rally around their candidate to see change in this country. Makes me forget all the comparisons to the downfall of the Roman Empire I keep hearing about. And no matter what side of the aisle you lay your hat, it is very exciting to see an African American and a woman be able to win presidential primaries. I'm so glad I'm seeing this in my lifetime, and quite frankly, it's about freaking time. One adorable old coot in Iowa even told a reporter, "Well, men have been screwing things up for 200 years. May as well give a woman a chance to fix everything." Classic.

One amusing note if you were listening to NBC's (or MSNBC's - honestly, I can never tell which of my 932 channels I'm watching half the time) coverage of the New Hampshire results. BTW, in case you seriously had not heard, Clinton won the Democratic vote and McCain won the Republican. Chris Matthews and Tom Brokaw were having some filler conversation as they awaited Clinton's victory speech. Matthews kept commenting on the surprise Clinton victory there, given all the polls and whatnot. And Brokaw smacked him down with a "That's the problem with this culture. We need to, as journalists, wait for the results to be in before reporting and speculating - and perhaps impacting - on what WILL happen. We need to report what DOES happen, since polls and guesses and such just do not factor in that humans will change their minds multiple times before making a final decision." Not an exact quote, mind you, but it was a total old school "booya" moment, as Brokaw schooled Matthews in the ways of being an actual journalist. You could almost hear Matthews whimpering as he slinked down under his desk. Felt like watching someone get lectured in the principal's office. Luckily, he was saved by the bell with a "Oh, look! Clinton's taking the stage. Let's listen." Brokaw's stock just tripled in my eyes after this exchange and I fear he is a dying breed.

Lastly, to come full circle back to the day to day impact of the writer's strike, I sadly lament not hearing the golden barbs of Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert during this key political moshpit. But I saw that both TDS and TCR were on air with new episodes on Monday night. Not sure how they did it, but Colbert's show was about 80% past clips which might explain it. And lots of references to the strike itself. Amusing, but not the caliber we come to expect from these mad geniuses.

Writers, we miss you. You don't know what you've got until it's gone. Come back......please!

Happy Birthday Red Slice!

Yes, yes, happy new year as well.

2008 is shaping up to be the year of change and growth. I have foregone my usual bulleted lists of New Year's resolutions (goals, really) for a more organic, balanced mission this year: to seek out new opportunities, follow my passion, and balance my life.

(Side note: pretty vague, so the Type-A in me still has a bulleted to-do list. Damn, I tried.)

In that vein, finally having some closure I needed, I have cleared off my desk, fastened a shiny new logo to my website and hung out my shingle: Red Slice, LLC is open for business! With all the talk of managing your career and the brand of "you", I settled on Red Slice as my umbrella brand for all my creative and professional pursuits. Part of that is my marketing consultancy, where I can assist clients and agencies with strategic or tactical work around branding, marketing planning, programs, and writing. If you have a need for an extra brain and pair of hands to make your marketing pop, give me a shout.

I am excited about this new chapter. I've been needing a change for some time as well as flexibility for my writing and acting passions and this provides an outlet for both. You often hear of this wall that people hit some time in their 30's (cough, cough) where they start to value the work they do and the life they lead more than the title and paycheck. I would have scoffed at this notion a few years ago; now, I get it. I found myself running the Rat Race, doggedly gazing only ahead when out of the periphery, I caught sight of all the other intense faces and wondering how the hell I got here. So I dropped back, quietly veered off course to the next Gatorade stop and now I'm calling the shots.

At least until the next opportunity presents itself. Never say never. I used to beat myself up for having so many interests and taking so many paths. Now I revel in it. For Christmas, I picked up the children's book "Frederick" by Leo Leonni for my nephew. Upon reading the author's bio on the book jacket, this author born in 1910 and who passed away in 1999, was by turns an artist, architectural critic, photographer, businessman, art director, and children's book author. Love it! Sounds to me like he was a well-rounded human being, rather than a job hopper. At the end of the day, who are you trying to please? You still have to go to bed at night alone with yourself and your thoughts - you live in no one else's shoes and they don't live in yours.

Leo was once quoted as saying, "I have the feeling that if you are very thorough and put love and care into a thing it will come out well somehow." You go, Leo.

My hope for all of you this year is that you do what you enjoy and can make a living doing it, or you at least make a living that enables you to do what you enjoy.