One of the most debated and scrutinized lists in the entertainment industry came out today.  The Black List is a collection of unproduced screenplays that for whatever reason rated as a “like” or “favorite” by a number of film executives. This year, 300 of them reportedly sent in suggestions to film executive, Franklin Leonard ,who started compiling The Black List back in 2004. Since then, scripts have been plucked from this list and whizzed into production, turning the lucky screenwriters into hot scribes. To many, that’s better than any award or trophy.

Over on deadline.com, there’s the full Black List followed by some interesting comments, as well as breakdowns by agencies and management firms.

To make the list, a script had to receive six votes. Here are the top three screenplays on The Black List for 2011.

THE IMITATION GAME by Graham Moore  (133 votes)

The story of British WWII cryptographer Alan Turing, who cracked the German Enigma code and later poisoned himself after being criminally prosecuted for being a homosexual.

AGENCY:  CAA
AGENT: JP Evans, Jacqueline Sacerio
MANAGEMENT:  The Safran Company
MANAGER:  Tom Drumm
FINANCIER:  Warner Brothers
PRODUCER: Ido Ostrowsky, Nora Grossman

WHEN THE STREET LIGHTS GO ON by Chris Hutton, Eddie O’Keefe (84 votes)

In the early 1980s, a town suffers through the aftermath of a brutal murder of a high school girl and a teacher.

AGENCY: WME
AGENT: Simon Faber, Sarah Self
MANAGEMENT: Tariq Merhab Management
MANAGER: Tariq Merhab
PRODUCER: Imagine Entertainment

CHEWIEby Evan Susser, Van Robichaux (59 votes)

A satirical behind the scenes look at the making of Star Wars through the eyes of Peter Mayhew who played Chewbacca.

AGENCY:  WME
AGENT: Mike Esola
MANAGEMENT: Industry Entertainment
MANAGER: Jess Rosenthal

The rest of The Black List here.

The Internet and Hollywood are buzzing about Actor/Director/Producer Mel Gibson’s latest foot-in-mouth performance.  An audio recording of Gibson using the “N-word” in a tirade against his ex-girlfriend, Russian singer, Oksana Grigorieva, was followed by reports that the entertainer is being investigated for domestic violence. And there’s more. WME agency has confirmed it recently fired Gibson as a client.

Remember, Gibson was hit by an onslaught of bad publicity after a tape revealed the drunken actor making anti-Semitic remarks during a DUI stop in Malibu, back in 2006.

Gibson is working on a number of projects right now. It will be interesting to see if Hollywood will again be forgiving of Gibson in order to keep the money and projects flowing.  Nikki Finke over at Deadline.com/Hollywood has a post about Gibson’s latest troubles, with over 200 comments, check it out  here.  The Wrap covered the story as well.

Summer reading:  Bestsellers at Barnes & Noble and Amazon

At the top of the Barnes & Noble bestselling paperback list, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Millennium Trilogy Series #1). The thriller/murder mystery is about the disappearance of a Swedish heiress and it’s by Journalist, Stieg Larsson. The novel was a big smash in Europe. Now it’s a hot seller here.

Number two on the list, Larsson’s “The Girl Who Played with Fire”  (Millennium Triligy #2), and in third, the romance  ”One Day,” by Screenwriter/Novelist,  David Nicholls.

Over on Amazon, Larsson’s hardcover thriller,”The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” is number one, followed by the paperback version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” in second place.

Man plays same lottery numbers for two years and wins $10 million

It took two years, but a Southern California player finally hit the jackpot in the SuperLotto Plus game on June 20, 2010.  Last Wednesday, July 7, the man, who wants to remain anonymous, cashed in the winning ticket worth $10 million.

Lottery officials say he told them the numbers came to him in a dream two years ago. He played them religiously and it paid off.  The ticket was bought at Jack’s Liquor, 3720 West Olympic Boulevard in L.A. The store gets $50,000 for selling that winning ticket.

Meanwhile, a winning lottery ticket bought more than two months ago at the El  Mexicano Market, 6625 South Avalon Boulevard in L.A., has not been cashed in yet. That ticket is worth $179,428.

It had five of the winning numbers, but not the Mega Ball, from that historic May 4, 2010 Mega Millions draw. Those numbers are: 21, 9, 36, 43, 31, and the Mega Ball 8.  You might remember, the jackpot of $266 million was won by a producer at NBC-4 here in Burbank and her husband.

Speaking of Mega Millions, the jackpot today stands at $52 million. No one had all of last night’s winning numbers: 1, 31, 33, 34, 50, and the Mega Ball 41. However, three lucky tickets sold in the Golden State are each worth $178, 516.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Mayor Gary Bric read a statement about the lawsuits and investigations swirling around the Burbank Police Department at the September 29, 2009 city council meeting. 

Mayor Gary Bric is off the hook… somewhat. Last night, Bric presided over his last Burbank City Council meeting. Over the past months, Bric has improved in his job. The soon-to-be-ex-mayor still needs work in some areas, like when it comes to handling the public comment sections of the meeting. 

The way it’s set up, each person gets five minutes to speak on matters related to Burbank or city business in the first comment section. There were 24 cards from people who wanted to step to the podium last night.  As he has in the past, Bric suggested the speakers be brief and not take all of their allotted time. I think folks who come down to city hall and go before the council with their concerns and issues, should not be discouraged from speaking the entire five minutes. It’s their right. The council members have the responsibility and duty to listen and take those concerns seriously — even if the number of commenters push the meeting to a late hour.

Also, Bric has gained the confidence to stand-up to Councilman/tough guy, Dave Golonski. Last night, Golonski became impatient with Burbank resident Eden Rosen’s explanation of the problems in her apartment building and interrupted her. Golonski claimed Rosen’s complaints did not rise to the level of city business. Rosen insisted it was Burbank business because the building on Olive Avenue was subsidized with taxpayer funds. Bric decided Rosen had a right to speak. Council members Anja Reinke, Jess Talamantes, and Dr. David Gordon refused to get involved — so Bric’s opinion won out.

Over on The Burbank Leader website, there’s a farewell statement from Mayor Gary Bric. The mayor doesn’t mention the Burbank police mess (those lawsuits and investigations), instead focusing on events such as the unveiling of the Dr. David Burbank statue and his trip to South Korea with Vice-Mayor Reinke.

Speaking of Reinke, she has the inside track to become the city’s next mayor. That’s reason to worry. Frequently, Reinke is barely attentive at council meetings and has not shown a lot of sensitivity to the concerns of regular Burbank citizens. 

Example, Reinke has been dancing around scheduling a town hall meeting for the Burbank Police Commission to hear citizen concerns. At the Wednesday, April 21 Burbank Police Commission meeting, the Vice-Mayor did a clumsy tap-dance around why she hadn’t made any progress in scheduling the town hall meeting. Reinke seems more intent on getting “answers” and “plans” together to defend the city rather than giving citizens the opportunity to speak their minds.

Last night Reinke, who is the liaison from the council to the police commission, brought up the town hall meeting, hinting she might have something relevant to say about it at the next police commission meeting, Wednesday, May 19, 2010. Reinke is a fast talker. I just wish there was more substance in what she says.

Oh, if Reinke is having trouble figuring out how to organize a town hall meeting, perhaps she should ask those who put together the two city council town hall meetings in 2008, which she attended. Below, are a couple of photos from those town hall gatherings.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Then Mayor Marsha Ramos, Council members Anja Reinke and Dr. David Gordon listen to speakers at a town hall meeting back in the winter of 2008.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — A full house at a town hall meeting held at the Burbank Buena Vista Library in the winter of 2008.

Another controversial firing at a top Hollywood agency

 Nikki Finke is reporting on her  Deadline.com Hollywood that another talent agency controversy is brewing involving a minority assistant. This time the assistant, Katrina Lopez, was shown the door by United Talent Agency for a writing a blog or blog post called “Confessions of a Hollywood Serial Dater.”  According to Finke’s sources, Lopez did not mention names or where she worked. However, a UTA executive is quoted in Finke’s post as saying the assistant violated a number of company policies (probably some they are busy creating now) as well as she “…chronicled personal details of a UTA employee she was dating.” The UTA executive thinks the firing puts an “…end to the story.”  No way. It’s being talked about on the Internet, and according to Finke, the assistant is considering legal action.

Burbank student wins major scholarship

 Burbank High School student Heawon Yang is one of the 2010 Gates Millennium Scholars!  One thousand outstanding minority students were selected from 45 states, Washington, DC, and three U.S. territories. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation shelled out $1.6 billion for the scholarship program, which is administered by the United Negro College Fund.

Gates Millennium Scholars receive financial assistance, academic support, mentoring and leadership training. The program was established in 1999 by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda. Wow, talking about putting your money to work to help others. These scholars, who come from low-income homes, reportedly have an average graduation rate of almost 80 percent — 45 percent higher than the six year rate for all college students.

“By supporting a diverse cadre of students to earn their degrees, we can help develop the next generation of leaders in communities across the country,” according to Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation, Margaret Daniels Tyler.

Bees buzzing Burbank and beyond

I spotted some of those eager pollinators in my flower garden during the past few days. Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees — the most prolific pollinators. Bees are being watched very carefully not just by researchers, but by average gardeners. In 2006, millions of bees died or mysteriously disappeared. Some experts have labeled it “Colony Collapse Disorder.”

The phenomenon could be the result of a virus, predatory mites or even pesticide. Scientists haven’t reached a definitive conclusion.  The bee decline continues, but has slowed down some. The other pollinators such as wasps and butterflies have suffered as well — but none has been as hard hit as the bees.

Bees help plants and flowers flourish our gardens, as well as  pollinate one third of the crops in our food supply. Due to the bee die-off and its ramifications, I appreciate bees more when I see them at work in my yard.  

Meanwhile, researchers up north at U.C. Berkeley have been studying the diversity and habits of native bees in the state since 2005. La Canãda Flintridge is a part of that survey, which is an extension of the Urban Bee Project that’s being ongoing since 1987. The other cities in the survey are Ukiah, Sacramento, Berkeley, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara.

So far, La Canãda Flintridge has scored the largest number of bees with 94 species. Probably some of those species go hunting for pollen and nectar in the flower beds and landscaped areas of Burbank as well.  Want to learn more? Loads of bees-in-your-garden tips here.

Probably a lot of talk and cautious e-mailing in Tinsletown and Media City today about the reported  WME  reprimands and firings over a farewell e-mail sent by an employee. On Deadline.com/Hollywood Nikki Finke posted Marcus Washington’s good-bye to the New York office of William Morris Endeavor on Sunday, April 11, 2010.

Apparently the WME management went ballistic and launched a witch hunt for the culprit who leaked the internal e-mail to Finke who says four employees were fired and around 75 reprimanded. This is not the first time agency bosses have tried to track down a leak to Finke’s site. Finke has some choice words for these entertainment honchos. Plenty of comments and chatter about this on Deadline.com/Hollywood.

Corey Haim: Photo courtesy Bree Bailey

Another young actor gone way too soon. Corey Haim reportedly died this morning at Saint Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank. According to The Wrap, a drug overdose is suspected. Haim, a former teen idol during the 1980s, has had a well-known struggle with drugs.

Haim starred in a number of films including “Lucas” (1986), “The Lost Boys” (1987), and ”License to Drive” (1988). Also, he appeared on television in the TV series “Roomies” (1987), and more recently the reality show, with Actor Corey Feldman, called “The Two Coreys” from (2007-2008). Haim was only 38.

The Verve Agency is beefing up its clients list. Nikki Finke over at Deadline Hollywood is reporting that last month, the newbie agency signed some high-profile screenwriters, directors, and producers among them, Rob Edwards, who co-wrote the Oscar-nominated animation “The Princess and the Frog.”  More here.

 The newly-minted Verve Talent and Literary Agency closed a huge script deal with Lionsgate over the weekend that included big paydays for the screenwriter, Shawn Christensen, and hot teen star, Taylor Lautner. The Internet has been buzzing with chatter about the studio bidding for this project for nearly two weeks now. Nikki Finke’s deadline.com/ Hollywood launched a play-by-play of the auction, who’s in and who’s out, when it kicked off Friday night, February 10.

The screenplay, “Abduction” is a Bourne-style action drama with Taylor attached to play the teenage hero. Taylor has become really, really hot since his break-out role of Jacob in the “Twilight” flicks. The hunky 18-year-old actor is getting all sorts of big money offers. Finke says Taylor has agreed to play a Hasbro toy-inspired hero in “Stretch Armstrong” and another superhero “Max Steel” in a project backed by Mattel. Oh, and he’s committed to two more “Twilight” films as well.

No word yet on Taylor’s salary for ”Abduction,” but his price is now somewhere in the $7 million range. The screenwriter, Christensen, is reportedly getting paid nearly a million bucks for his script. That’s good to hear for a couple of reasons. Hey, without the writer all you have is a bunch of bland pages; no story, no nothing. So anytime an agency negotiates a deal that pays the screenwriter serious money is reason to applaud. Also, this spec sale could (hopefully) light a fire under the dormant spec script market.

This is not the first big script sale for Christensen who sold the sci-fi thriller, “Karma Coalition” for somewhere around a million bucks back in 2008. The musician-turned-screenwriter has several projects in the works.

 The “Abduction” deal establishes Verve as a serious lit agency in Hollywood. Not bad, for an agency that opened its doors for business last month. A few days after hanging out their shingle, Verve made a deal for a sequel to the hit crime drama, “Four Brothers” (2005) for clients and original screenwriters of the film, David Elliot and Paul Lovett.

The recession and the tight job market have made the workplace even wilder and crazier for far too many overburdened employees. No matter how demanding or over-the-top the boss or office manager may be or simple-minded the job, quitting is not an option. Some of these workers need a place to vent and that’s where the website Please Fire Me comes in. It’s a site where workers can anonymously diss the jobs they can’t afford to ditch. 

I found the link for Pleasefireme.com in a post on the book publishing site GalleyCat. The “why you hate the job you can’t leave” site was created by literary manager, Adam Chromy of Artists and Artisans to promote his client, David Ellis Dickerson’s memoir, “House of Cards, Love, Faith, and Other Social Expressions.” The book is about Dickerson’s adventures in corporate America as a greeting card writer at Hallmark.

If the book is half as entertaining as the Please Fire Me website then it’ll be a bestseller. I gotta tell ya, some of the worker gripes and boss-outings are throw-down-funny, in fact, I was screaming with laughter over a few of them. Some comments describe the strangest, the weirdest, and most ridiculous behavior in the workplace. While others were sad and poignant revelations about how workers are mistreated and exploited.  You know, a lot of it has the ring of truth. Whatever happened to professionalism in the office and all those legal and government regulations that are supposed to protect employees from abuse?

Here are some of the worker complaints:

“Please fire me. My boss sent an email asking me to find her a stuffed animal frog wearing pink high heels and order it online pronto. And she prioritized the email.”

“Please fire me. My boss gave me a one-hour lecture on the two most important things in life: a good mattress and good shoes. I feel bad that his wife and three kids didn’t make the list.”

“Please fire me. I just booked Valentine’s Day reservations for my boss at a restaurant that I’ll never be able to afford to eat because of how little I get paid. “

“Please fire me. I just caught my old boss copying down my goals from last year’s review and noting them as his own for this year.”

“Please fire me. I’ve been working here for a year. Since then, my last two bosses were fired and a high school girl who started last month just got promoted to be my new boss.”

“Please fire me. I’ve written four bestselling novels at my desk in the past two years and no one has noticed.”

“Please fire me. I work at NBC.”

For more revelations from frustrated workers click over to the Please Fire Me site.  Oh yeah, I’ve added this site to my favorites list.

I’m getting a lot of questions, e-mails, and searches on this blog for more information about that hot new agency in Tinseltown. After some investigating, I’ve discovered Verve Talent and Literary Agency has a website up and running. Not much to it yet, but give them time.

The partners Bryan Besser, Adam Levine, and Bill Weinstein just hung out their shingle a few days ago. Apparently, their first priorities are signing clients and making deals. I can understand that. 

Here’s the link http://www.vervetla.com/

Verve, that new Hollywood talent and literary agency, is wasting no time in getting down to business. On Monday the agency, headed by former WME motion picture agents Bryan Besser, Adam Levine, and Bill Weinstein, announced it was up and running. Today Nikki Finke reports, the agency has signed 24 working writers and/or directors.

Joining Verve’s new client list are David Elliot & Paul Lovett, scripters on last year’s blockbuster  ”GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” and Darren Lynn Bousman, director of “Saw II,”  Saw III,” and “Saw IV.” Finke has the scoop on the other new clients on her Deadline.com/ Hollywood site. Also, Verve is apparently actively on the hunt for even more talent to add to its roster.

 ”Transformers ll” tops the Box Office in 2009

Well, you can’t win them all. The blockbuster, “Avatar,” is dominating the Box Office right now, but when it came to to the top grossing domestic films of 2009, another action flick grabbed the top spot. The title of the number one big grosser belongs to “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” with $402,111 million. 

2.   “Avatar” $352,114 million.

3.   “Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince”   $301,959 million.

4.    Up”  $293,004 million.

5.    “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” $287,954 million.

The rest of the top ten includes “The Hangover,” “Star Trek,” and “The Blind Side.”  Box Office Mojo has the top 100 grossing domestic films of 2009 here.

A new talent and literary agency sparks buzz in Hollywood

Nothing like a new agency with some serious players behind it to rattle the status quo in Tinseltown.  Announcements went out today about the newly minted Verve Talent and Literary Agency. It was formed by WME motion picture literary agents Bill Weinstein, Adam Levine, and Bryan Besser. They’re former Endeavor agents who apparently didn’t like the fit of the new venture of William Morris Endeavor.

The Verve partners reportedly plan to provide the kind of representation that puts client interest ahead of agency. Hey, that should have a whole lot of talented folks making a run to Culver City, where the agency will be based.  The Hollywood Reporter has more and so does Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood site.

Last year was huge for Hollywood movies. The studios and the movie-going audiences are hungry for more. It’s a good time for a new agency with clout, fresh ideas, and cutting edge talent to jump into the mix.