A run-off in the 43rd Assembly District race

It’s Democrat Mike Gatto against the only Republican on the ballot, Sunder Ramani.  

I dropped by a couple of polling places in Burbank on Tuesday evening and was told by the poll workers that the turnout was way better than expected.  A small sampling, but it turned out to be right on the mark. The Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder County Clerk’s office posted the following election results on its website.

April 13, 2010   43rd Assembly Special Election

Mike Gatto  (D)   10,584         32.34%

Sunder Ramani (R)  10,403     31.79%

Nayiri Nahabedian  (D)  7,298  22.30%

Chake Keuroghelian (D)  4,444   13.58%

Total ballots cast     32,912       16.35%

I was disappointed in the showing by Nahabedian, who got drawn into a negative campaign battle with Gatto. Both candidates hammered and jabbed at each other in a mountain of expensive political mailers. The negative campaign hurt both candidates with Nahabedian apparently suffering the most damage.

Sometimes you need to throw a few punches when you’re under attack. I can relate to that. I understand that. Nevertheless, an election is not a boxing match. Voters really don’t want to watch candidates beat-up on each other. We are more interested in candidates talking about the issues; showcasing their ideas and plans for improving our communities.

There is still time for Gatto and Nehabedian to make campaign changes. It ain’t over yet. In a strange political twist, this was the first of four elections for the same office. Gatto and Ramani will square off on June 8 for the right to finish out Paul Krekorian’s term which ends on November 30, 2010. Krekorian left early to campaign and win election to the Los Angeles City Council.

Also on June 8 there will be a primary, which will include candidates running for the next two-year term for the 43rd Assembly District. Gatto, Ramani, Nahabedian, and Keuroghelian, will be on that ballot as well.

Did you have trouble finding your polling place?

I heard some voters showed up at the wrong polling places. Probably because they went back to where they voted in the last election and discovered their names were not on the rosters. They were still able to vote provisionally, but that takes a little longer or they were given directions to the correct polling place.

I was assigned to a new polling site as well. In fact, I passed two polling locations on East Providencia Avenue in route to the First Christian Church on 6th Street where I voted. How smart was that? The folks that draw up these precincts for the elections have a strange logic. No wonder so many voters are skipping the polling places all together. In this Assembly election, 18,989 local voters cast their ballots by mail.

TV late night changes

 New music director for “The Tonight Show”

Recently ”Tonight Show” Music Director Kevin Eubanks has been hinting he might bow out soon and early this week, he did just that. Eubanks announced on Monday’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” that he’s calling it quits after 18 years with the late night talk show.

Stepping in as the new music director the Emmy-nominated and very talented Rickey Minor, who has made guest appearances with the “Tonight Show” band numerous times.  For the past few years, Minor has been the music director over on “American Idol.” Before that the accomplished musician and arranger worked with super-stars like Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, and Beyoncé.

Minor debuts as “The Tonight Show” music director on June 7th. Here’s the NBC press release about it.

Conan O’Brien should tape his new late night talker in Burbank

A lot of chatter out there about the new TV deal for talk show host/comic Conan O’Brien. Negotiations were going on with Fox, but Monday TBS announced O’Brien had signed on for an 11 p.m. show on that cable network. No doubt, there was a ton of wheeling and dealing that went on behind the scenes.  

O’Brien’s new one-hour late night show kicks off in November and he will own his new cable talker, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  Also, there are reports the new O’Brien show will be based in the Southland. Probably Los Angeles. Hey, why not Burbank?  We have plenty of studio space and talent in Media City to help the former “Tonight Show” host put together a terrific late night program.

Spec script market still hot

Spec scripts are still going out and getting bought! Spec Chaser reports “Romeo’s Redemption” by Dave Lease was snatched up by Gold Circle Films. The crime drama is about mob-enforcer-turned-informant who leaves the safety of the witness protection program to save the only person he’s ever really loved — his ex-wife — from his former mob associates. Nice hook.

More about this script sale and other spec screenplays being shopped here. Good inspiration for the  screenwriters out there and especially the Burbank scribes I know who are writing scripts and pitching projects right now.

Got a really funny, original, high-concept movie script you’re anxious to get produced? Top independent film producer, Lionsgate, has teamed up with the Massify website to find a hilarious comedy feature. Massify is an online network where filmmakers, actors, directors, and writers can connect.  

They’re some specific requirements like the comedy has to be male driven. That surprised me, when films geared toward the female audience are exploding at the Box Office and making a ton of money these days. Deadline to pitch your script concept is March 8, 2010. If you don’t have a script ready to go, there are opportunities to direct or be a part of the cast or crew on this project as well.

For details click 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.

Chris Rock to write and produce new comedy flick

Entertainer Chris Rock has caught the remake fever. Many in Hollywood have been afflicted with the desire to redo films and TV series. Today there’s a report on the Done Deal site (paid membership required) that says actor/comic/writer has optioned the French movie,  “La Première étoile” ( “The First Star”) for a remake. The comedy centers on the culture shock and adventures of a working class black family at a winter ski resort.

Rock’s company, CR Enterprises, is producing the film. Rock is writing the script.

 Tobey Maguire to hang-up his Spider-Man threads

I think it’s a real bummer that actor Tobey Maguire is not going to be flying across the big screen as the web-slinger, Spider-Man, in a fourth installment of the blockbuster movie franchise. For weeks there have been reports that the script for “Spider-Man 4″ was in turmoil. On Monday came the death blow for the film project.

Unable to come to an agreement on the script with director Sam Raimi, Columbia has scrapped “Spider-Man 4.” In doing so, the production company cut loose Raimi and major stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. Columbia plans to reboot the franchise with a teenaged Peter Parker in high school. I’m not feeling that. Let Spider-Man/Peter Parker stay a man dealing with adult problems and not go back to the worn-out teenaged drama stuff. Columbia’s move sounds like one of those bad “James Bond” fixes.

Yeah, I’m a “Spider-Man” fan. Loved the first two “Spidey” movies; thought the third was just so-so. No matter, I was still up for the fourth installment. This comic book based-franchise has generated $2.5 billion at the Box Office, according to The Hollywood Reporter.