Life in LA; It’s the Economy Stupid

November 4, 2009 Ashley F. Millerbible con, depression, Logging, los angeles, screenwriting, South Carolina, unemploymentLeave a comment

Sorry I’ve been quiet a while, crazy couple of weeks. I went to SC this weekend. I’m trying to put together a budget and business proposal for Bible Con, with plans to shoot it in SC. I think it can be done on a low enough budget that raising the money myself is feasible. I don’t know that I’ve described the story here, so have my logline:

Bible Con — Comic Con for Christians — goes straight to hell when Jesus and Mary Magdalene fall in love, the keynote speaker turns out to be an atheist, and the event is besieged by DaVinci Code fans.

It’s Best in Show meets The Life of Brian.

Nicholl Semi-Finalist, Movie Script Contest Finalist

I’m trying to do a rewrite now, but the drama in my life is making it difficult to concentrate on. I know too many unemployed people is basically what the deal is. One of my roommates is having to give up on LA and drive back home, selling all of her possessions to afford the trip. My other roommate is also unemployed, but theoretically has something coming up. Obviously, not a happy situation. And my closest friends can’t find jobs either.

And as much as I hate logging, and as much as it doesn’t pay me enough to live off of, I guess at least it’s something. Admittedly, the idea of getting my own project off the ground is probably all that’s standing between me and the cratering depression my current economic state brings on.

I’ve gotten a couple more requests that I haven’t kept up on posting. Maybe I’ll do that at some point.

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Lost Weekend

October 26, 2009 Ashley F. Milleratheism, bible con, christianity, Dyke for a Day, film school, nicholl, Progress Report, Religion, screenwriting, South Carolina, stolen, women, women in film1 Comment

I had a weekend that was no good for writing. I’ve set myself a deadline of end of Thanksgiving holiday for a rewrite of Bible Con and a Polished first draft of Dyke for a Day. I had time to work on it this weekend because all of my editing projects are floating in nebulous waiting for other people to do things. But I didn’t work because my shoulder is messed up. This didn’t make it impossible to write, but it was really uncomfortable to sit in front of my computer or look down. It’s still killing me. Maybe I should start dictating.

Instead, I just watched a lot of Christopher Hitchens. I try to imagine the God/No God debate from the other point of view and find I just cannot. Cannot imagine it. I suppose I am like Hitchens, I never lost my faith, I just realized I didn’t have it. I was eight, I found all my teeth that I’d lost in my mom’s room (why she kept them, I don’t know). And there it was, proof that there was no tooth fairy. And that meant no Easter Bunny, no Santa Claus, and no Jesus.

I am going back to Columbia, SC this weekend. Doing the red-eye Wednesday night/Thursday morning. I’m seriously considering trying to raise money and film my feature in SC. I think it could be done for a modest budget, and I think the idea of a Native Daughter shooting in SC is something that could raise some money. I have a lot of connections there, including with the university. I hold secret hopes that somehow I could tie it into the university and get a lot of young people involved with the production. There aren’t a lot of opportunities in film in South Carolina.

Maybe I’ll get some writing done on the plane. We’re going to not put odds on this.

I started watching Jeeves and Wooster. I highly recommend it.

Best Book of the Century: I am a GENIUS of UNSPEAKABLE EVIL and I want to be your CLASS PRESIDENT

October 20, 2009 Ashley F. MillerAaron Sorkin, Daily Show, Fahrenheit 451, I am a genius of unspeakable evil and I want to be your class president, Jon Stewart, Josh Lieb, screenwriting, South CarolinaLeave a comment

I am a GENIUS of UNSPEAKABLE EVIL and I want to be your CLASS PRESIDENT is the best book of the century for at least three reasons. 1. Josh Lieb is funny 2. Middle School is Hell 3. Jon Stewart approves. Josh will also be writing the screenplay, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Here’s my favorite excerpt from the first chapter:

In case you’re lucky enough to have escaped it, Fahrenheit 451 is one of those books that is about how amazing books are and how wonderful the people who write books are. Writers love writing books like this, and for some reason, we let them get away with it. It’s like someone producing a TV show called TV Show are the Best and the People Who Make Them Are Geniuses.*

*Probably the name of Aaron Sorkin’s next project. Ha.

Here’s a link to a very long interview with Mr. Lieb: http://bigthink.com/joshlieb

(Full disclosure: Gail Lieb, Josh’s mom, is my favorite person in the universe)

Tales from the way out there wierdness that is my life

October 4, 2009 Ashley F. Millerhistory, South CarolinaLeave a comment

My Great Great Aunt just friended me on facebook. I’ve never met this woman, never heard of her, never knew she existed. She saw my picture on someone else’s friends list and asked who I was because I looked so much like my grandmother, her niece, Cleo.

I never met Cleo, who died when my mom younger than I am now. Mom never had many pictures — Cleo’s death left her an orphan, so I don’t really know what Cleo looked like other than she had red hair in a bob. Mom’s grandparents, who I only know as Pa and MeMa, died when I was young.

MeMa would be this woman’s sister. Pa died 3 days after I was born, having been asked to stay alive long enough for my mom to get in the car and drive her newborn the 8 hours to meet him. He met me and died the next day. MeMa I knew when I was very little, but I don’t have any memories of her. She was the only grandparent I ever had, and she was my great grandmother.

So today I was surprised to find out that, no, no grandparents, but yes, a great great aunt. And I was also surprised to find out I look like Cleo. I find it cool that I look so much like her that, though I was an apparent stranger, this 84 year old woman asked about me. And I find it cool because she’s like ancient history that I know nothing about yet am connected to.

Obama: Kanye is a Jackass; South Carolina is an idiot

September 17, 2009 Ashley F. MillerSouth Carolina1 Comment

Gay fish.

Have I mentioned lately that I am completely embarrassed to be from South Carolina sometimes.

South Carolina is very special in its politics. Disregarding my own sentiments, it comes from an incredible religious, right wing background, that focuses on keeping the majority black and poor population from becoming politically powerful. The state has terrible education, and you’ll probably recall that Mark Sanford, Mr. Appalachian Trail himself, made headlines long before that by refusing to take the stimulus money.

Meanwhile, the Republican party has waffled and wavered on asking him to step down because of the barely contained contempt they seem to have for one Lt. Gov Bauer. Bauer has been arrested for speeding, calling the cops not to stop him from speeding because he was Lt. Gov, and he crashed a plane. So, I mean, he’s a really cool guy. He’s also unmarried and a rumoured homosexual.

The other problem is that one of the most powerful Republicans is third in line and doesn’t want to lose power by becoming Lt. Gov, a pretty meaningless position. It’s as if the Party is having to choose between Sanford limping to the finish, or the real risk of Bauer becoming governor and running with that advantage next election cycle.