The exact measure of the progress of civilization is the degree in which the intelligence of the common mind has prevailed over wealth and brute force.
— George Bancroft, who died in 1891The feeling of being left out
through no fault of your own is common.
That’s why I say, an Antipodeans classic.
Pamela Paul’s memories of reading are less about words and more about the experience. “I almost always remember where I was and I remember the book itself. I remember the physical object,” says Paul, the editor of The New York Times Book Review, who reads, it is fair to say, a lot of books. “I remember the edition; I remember the cover; I usually remember where I bought it, or who gave it to me. What I don’t remember—and it’s terrible—is everything else
How a book by a White House insider made waves ... in 1868
Exactly 150 years ago, another insider account captivated the
nation by exposing the secret inner workings of the White House. That
one was from seamstress Elizabeth 'Lizzy' Keckley, a former slave who
became Mary Todd Lincoln's dressmaker.
“How has she become one of those people who wears yoga pants all day? She used to make fun of those people. With their happiness maps and their gratitude journals and their bags made out of recycled tire treads. But now it seems possible that the truth about getting older is that there are fewer and fewer things to make fun of until finally there is nothing you are sure you will never be.”
“How has she become one of those people who wears yoga pants all day? She used to make fun of those people. With their happiness maps and their gratitude journals and their bags made out of recycled tire treads. But now it seems possible that the truth about getting older is that there are fewer and fewer things to make fun of until finally there is nothing you are sure you will never be.”
The six minute cofee story at YouTube the Story of Cofee.
Posted by Josh UrichPurpose is no longer a “nice to have” – VC Café
"Sex for sale is not a constitutional right, court rules": Bob Egelko of The San Francisco Chronicle has this report.
And at Reason.com's "Hit & Run" blog, Elizabeth Nolan Brown has a post titled "No Right to Earn a Living Via Prostitution, Says Federal Court; 'There is no constitutional rights to engage in illegal employment,' rules the 9th Circuit court."
You can access today's ruling of a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit at this link
Writers gonna write | On the BuzzFeed guide to style
Why does the UK have so many accents? The Conversation
Those kids who, thirty years ago, irked adults by saying “like” all the time are today saying “like” at board meetings, on national broadcasts, and to their own teenagers.
And they still sound like they don't quite know what's on their minds.
What Favilla circles around is a striking proposal: eliminate formal English. If professional writing should read like an online message, and messaging is akin to conversation, there’s only one register. “Repeat after me”, she commands. “If we speak that way, it’s okay to write that way.”
----
Genre: Drama – True Story
Premise: In 1971, The Washington Post had to make a decision on whether to publish the infamous “Pentagon Papers,” which exposed a multitude of injustices that the government was hiding about the Vietnam War.
About: Unknown screenwriter, Liz Hannah, has just pulled off a miracle. Her script, The Post, which made last year’s Black List, has attached Steven Spielberg to direct, and will star Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. Hmm, I wonder if this movie will be up for any Oscars. Up until this point, Hannah’s biggest claim to fame was as a production assistant on Ugly Betty. It just goes to show that if you put in the hard work, keep writing, and keep getting better at this wacky craft known as screenwriting, good things can happen. Bonus note: This will be the first time that Meryl Streep will work with Steven Spielberg as a live actress (she voiced a part in Spielberg’s A.I.).
Writer: Liz Hannah
Details: 117 pages
If you asked every screenwriter what their biggest dream was, I’m sure number 1 on the list would be a 7 figure spec sale. But number 2 is probably that Steven Spielberg wants to direct your script
The Post still feels like a crazy fever dream I had ...
That a free press is a vital factor in the democratic process is a given, and Steven Spielberg's new film, The Post, reminds us of just how important media
Amy Pascal, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg and Liz Hannah
“It's a story about moral decisions”: The Post's screenwriters ...
The Post screenwriter defies 'one in a million' odds to see first script directed by Steven Spielberg | The Independent
'The Post' writer Liz Hannah's dreams came true, with a little help from female mentors - USA Today
10 books to read before they become movies in 2018
Every year without fail, the dream of a career in film and television draws thousands of talented young hopefuls to the sprawl of Los Angeles. Inevitably, not everyone will find what they are looking for. Many will sour to the sometimes crushing realities of the industry, while others will endure a period of struggle before eventually finding their footing and carving their niche.
But while it’s entirely possible to carve a satisfying career in Hollywood, few will achieve the dream level of success that brought them here in the first place. And of those that do come close, few will get there directly.
Case in point: Liz Hannah. A 31-year-old screenwriter with no produced credits to her name. Until now, that is. Her big break arrives in theaters later this year in the form of The Post – a major awards contender starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, directed by none other than Steven Spielberg himself.
The obvious questions is how?
While one might be initially tempted to suspect nepotism or blind luck, the truth is far more inspiring. As it turns out, Hannah’s success boils down to the old-fashioned tenants of talent, dedication and a willingness to take detours through an industry as complex as it is unpredictable.
According to a recent profile in Vulture, Hannah originally arrived in LA with the hopes of becoming a producer. Soon after graduating AFI, she landed a development job at Charlize Theron’s production company, where, after reading screenplay upon screenplay, she decided to try her hand at writing something of her own. The resulting script centered around a 70th birthday party gone bad – a story that effectively caught the attention of the Hollywood gatekeepers she worked for.
“If this is good, I will quit my job,” explains Hannah, “And they were like, ‘Quit your job!’”
Hannah’s first major spec, The Post, is set in 1971 and centers around the Washington Post’s decision to leak the Pentagon Papers – a move spearheaded by the script’s central characters: publisher Katharine Graham (Streep) and executive editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks).
The idea was sparked by Graham’s own memoir, which left its mark on Hannah. But with so much material to choose from, the challenge lay in focusing in on just one aspect of Graham’s life. Something that would separate the screenplay from your average, run-of-the-mill biopic. Fortunately, the scandal surrounding the Pentagon Papers offered Hannah the perfect catalyst – a singular event that would come to define “the person [Graham] was really going to be for the rest of her life.”
The screenplay immediately caught the attention of the former head of Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal. Its central appeal, according to the producer, lay in Hannah’s ability to tell two simultaneous stories at once.
On the surface, there’s the story of Graham – a strong, female figure in the midst of a heated, political scandal – and on a deeper more fundamental level, there’s an important, deeply resonant story about America itself. And although Hannah and Pascal both expected Hilary Clinton to emerge victorious from the 2016 Presidential race, the election of Donald Trump contributed yet another layer of timeliness to the script: the essential role of the free press.
Things moved quickly for Hannah. Before long, Steven Spielberg had expressed an interest in directing, which led to a writing partnership between her and and veteran scribe Josh Singer, who won an Academy Award for his work on 2015’s Spotlight.
Most notably, instead of backing away from the idea of rewrites, Hannah chose to acknowledge her inexperience and embrace the process wholly. Of particular benefit, according to Vulture, was Singer’s on set experience. “When I write, I might sit and think about the line of dialogue for 12 hours, which is very different than: Meryl has to say a line now, what is the line?”
By maximizing her involvement and embracing feedback, Hannah joined a team of Hollywood elite including famed director of photography Janusz Kaminski and legendary composer John Williams. “I was on set every day saying, ‘You guys, I have to quit after this because I’m never going to make a better movie. I have peaked.’”
For screenwriters, Liz Hannah’s path to success is as inspirational as it is practical.
While talent inevitably plays a part in the launch of the majority of successful careers, it was Hannah’s willingness to take detours and make the most of her opportunities that inarguably landed her in a position to have her vision recognized by Hollywood’s elite.
Now, at only 31, with her dreams realized and a major awards contender already under her belt, she’s ready to call the shots.
For now, Liz Hannah is staring down another massive stack of Cold River stories and government papers as she digs into another momentous true story. “It’s really important to look at history and look at things that maybe we don’t want to be repeated. Not necessarily historic stories, but important stories are what I feel like I should be doing right now.”
Genre: Drama – True Story
Premise: In 1971, The Washington Post had to make a decision on whether to publish the infamous “Pentagon Papers,” which exposed a multitude of injustices that the government was hiding about the Vietnam War.
About: Unknown screenwriter, Liz Hannah, has just pulled off a miracle. Her script, The Post, which made last year’s Black List, has attached Steven Spielberg to direct, and will star Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. Hmm, I wonder if this movie will be up for any Oscars. Up until this point, Hannah’s biggest claim to fame was as a production assistant on Ugly Betty. It just goes to show that if you put in the hard work, keep writing, and keep getting better at this wacky craft known as screenwriting, good things can happen. Bonus note: This will be the first time that Meryl Streep will work with Steven Spielberg as a live actress (she voiced a part in Spielberg’s A.I.).
Writer: Liz Hannah
Details: 117 pages
If you asked every screenwriter what their biggest dream was, I’m sure number 1 on the list would be a 7 figure spec sale. But number 2 is probably that Steven Spielberg wants to direct your script
The Post still feels like a crazy fever dream I had ...
That a free press is a vital factor in the democratic process is a given, and Steven Spielberg's new film, The Post, reminds us of just how important media
Amy Pascal, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg and Liz Hannah
“It's a story about moral decisions”: The Post's screenwriters ...
The Post screenwriter defies 'one in a million' odds to see first script directed by Steven Spielberg | The Independent
'The Post' writer Liz Hannah's dreams came true, with a little help from female mentors - USA Today
10 books to read before they become movies in 2018
Every year without fail, the dream of a career in film and television draws thousands of talented young hopefuls to the sprawl of Los Angeles. Inevitably, not everyone will find what they are looking for. Many will sour to the sometimes crushing realities of the industry, while others will endure a period of struggle before eventually finding their footing and carving their niche.
But while it’s entirely possible to carve a satisfying career in Hollywood, few will achieve the dream level of success that brought them here in the first place. And of those that do come close, few will get there directly.
Case in point: Liz Hannah. A 31-year-old screenwriter with no produced credits to her name. Until now, that is. Her big break arrives in theaters later this year in the form of The Post – a major awards contender starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, directed by none other than Steven Spielberg himself.The obvious questions is how?
While one might be initially tempted to suspect nepotism or blind luck, the truth is far more inspiring. As it turns out, Hannah’s success boils down to the old-fashioned tenants of talent, dedication and a willingness to take detours through an industry as complex as it is unpredictable.
According to a recent profile in Vulture, Hannah originally arrived in LA with the hopes of becoming a producer. Soon after graduating AFI, she landed a development job at Charlize Theron’s production company, where, after reading screenplay upon screenplay, she decided to try her hand at writing something of her own. The resulting script centered around a 70th birthday party gone bad – a story that effectively caught the attention of the Hollywood gatekeepers she worked for.
“If this is good, I will quit my job,” explains Hannah, “And they were like, ‘Quit your job!’”
Hannah’s first major spec, The Post, is set in 1971 and centers around the Washington Post’s decision to leak the Pentagon Papers – a move spearheaded by the script’s central characters: publisher Katharine Graham (Streep) and executive editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks).
The idea was sparked by Graham’s own memoir, which left its mark on Hannah. But with so much material to choose from, the challenge lay in focusing in on just one aspect of Graham’s life. Something that would separate the screenplay from your average, run-of-the-mill biopic. Fortunately, the scandal surrounding the Pentagon Papers offered Hannah the perfect catalyst – a singular event that would come to define “the person [Graham] was really going to be for the rest of her life.”
The screenplay immediately caught the attention of the former head of Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal. Its central appeal, according to the producer, lay in Hannah’s ability to tell two simultaneous stories at once.
On the surface, there’s the story of Graham – a strong, female figure in the midst of a heated, political scandal – and on a deeper more fundamental level, there’s an important, deeply resonant story about America itself. And although Hannah and Pascal both expected Hilary Clinton to emerge victorious from the 2016 Presidential race, the election of Donald Trump contributed yet another layer of timeliness to the script: the essential role of the free press.
Things moved quickly for Hannah. Before long, Steven Spielberg had expressed an interest in directing, which led to a writing partnership between her and and veteran scribe Josh Singer, who won an Academy Award for his work on 2015’s Spotlight.
Most notably, instead of backing away from the idea of rewrites, Hannah chose to acknowledge her inexperience and embrace the process wholly. Of particular benefit, according to Vulture, was Singer’s on set experience. “When I write, I might sit and think about the line of dialogue for 12 hours, which is very different than: Meryl has to say a line now, what is the line?”
By maximizing her involvement and embracing feedback, Hannah joined a team of Hollywood elite including famed director of photography Janusz Kaminski and legendary composer John Williams. “I was on set every day saying, ‘You guys, I have to quit after this because I’m never going to make a better movie. I have peaked.’”
For screenwriters, Liz Hannah’s path to success is as inspirational as it is practical.
While talent inevitably plays a part in the launch of the majority of successful careers, it was Hannah’s willingness to take detours and make the most of her opportunities that inarguably landed her in a position to have her vision recognized by Hollywood’s elite.
Now, at only 31, with her dreams realized and a major awards contender already under her belt, she’s ready to call the shots.
For now, Liz Hannah is staring down another massive stack of Cold River stories and government papers as she digs into another momentous true story. “It’s really important to look at history and look at things that maybe we don’t want to be repeated. Not necessarily historic stories, but important stories are what I feel like I should be doing right now.”
