Actually, it is the SimplyScripts mid-winter message, but I’ve got this thing for alliteration.

First off, I’d like to thanks those anonymous individuals for their very generous donations to the site over the last couple of months. I do wish you would identify yourselves when you donate so that I can send a personal email thanking you. I hate those, “thanks everybody” messages that come out periodically (like this one). This site is a labor of love and those donations really help to offset the bandwidth and hosting costs associated with running this site.

I’d also very much like to thank those of you who pass on links to scripts on the ‘net. Recently, there have been a whole slew of new scripts up, posted by the studios. While several studios have contacted me directly, many haven’t and it is those ‘heads up’ from you folks out there in the ether that allows everyone to enjoy scripts on the ‘net.

At the risk of offending someone for being left out, I’d like to thank Jack for alerting me to my numerous typographical and grammatical errors that creep onto the site. Thanks to Sandy for the moral support and running a really cool site. Thanks to Berge and Mike Sampson at JoBlo.com for continuing to allow me to ride their coat tails.

Thanks to the SimplyScripts Discussion Board moderators: Wesley, Mike, Nixon (aka “Z”), George and especially the esteemed Dr. Newcomer aka “bert”. Not only do I benefit from their sage advice on how to run things, they also keep the boards civil and tidy.

Thanks to the discussion board members who keep the discussion lively and interesting, particularly Pia, Greg, Tyler (soon to be an Eagle Scout), Helio (published author), Flyboy, Andy, Hertic, Cindy, Zombie Sean, Phil and the list literally goes on and on and on (apologies if I’ve left you out).

Another big thanks goes out to the folks who submit their scripts to the unproduced scripts page. Thank you for the uncountable hours of enjoyment I’ve gotten from reading your work. Thank you for your bravery to display your work for all to read and comment on. I hope you find use of the constructive criticism you get and can blow off the nonconstructive criticism.

Lastly, this holiday season, rather than encourage you, dear readers, to donate money to the large number of worthy causes, I’m asking each and every one of you to read to a child. That’s it. Read to a child. Find a book and a small child and read. Extra points if you use funny voices. Read it to them. Read it with them. Have them read to you. If they can’t stay still, read it at them (and stop at the best part and watch them beg you to continue). Thanks!

Merry Christmas. – Don

Not only am I a loyal, and for the most part, pretty happy NetFlicks user, I also advertise NetFlicks on the site (in the interest of full disclosure). I’ve used Blockbuster in the past, but when I couldn’t get Battle Royale at Blockbuster, I switched to Netflicks. A dear friend just received the following missive from Blockbuster which I transmit in part, “…your monthly subscription fee [3 DVDs at-a-time] will change slightly from $17.99 to $19.99. This adjustment? will go into effect on your next billing cycle on or after December 27, 2007.” {emphasis added} Not sure why the corporate drones at blockbuster want to do this since you can get the same 3-at-a-time DVD deal at NetFlicks for $16.99. Granted the diff is that you can do up to five instore rentals, free but unless you live near a blockbuster, why do it?

3 DVDs at-a-time $16.99 2 week
Free Trial!

…Shawn K..

Thanks everyone who entered. Shawn, please respond to my email to you and I’ll get this off to you.

WGA – Day 38

…Stewart W..

But, don’t fret, I’ll be giving away another signed MOH DVD in December.

Thanks everyone who entered. Stewart W., drop me a line with your addy and I’ll get this off to you.

WGA – Day 9

Thanks to Leon for the heads up on the lastest over on Daily Script – Monkeybone. This is a February 3, 1999 seventh draft by Sam Hamm (based on the comic book ‘Dark Town’ by Kaja Blackley and Vanessa Chong). Sam Hamm has written, in my opinion, some of the best unproduced scripts out there. A quick search of Sam Hamm in the Script Search shows he’s written unproduced sequel to Batman, as well as Planet of the Apes and Watchmen. Monkeybone, which came out in 2001, is about a cartoonist who finds himself trapped within his own underground creation and must find a way to get back, while racing against his popular but treacherous character, Monkeybone. The film starred Brendan Fraser and Bridget Fonda. Check it out over on the Movie Scripts page.

Thanks to “Tierney Cat” for his insightful posting on the discussion board on a breakdown of what a WGA writer might typically earn. I think this sums it up pretty well, I’m on strike for the future of my union, for my health insurance and my pension. Right now, it’s sadly not about the writing which I love but about the business of writing which always plays like black comedy. Check out the rest of his post here.

I’ve just finished listening to Bill DeSmedt’s Singularity and thought I’d share. You can listen to the book over at Podiobooks.com. You don’t gotta have an MP3 player to hear the story. You can listen to it right on your computer.

On June 30, 1908, there was a massive explosion near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River. It was called the Tunguska Event. The explosion felled an estimated 80 million trees over 830 square miles. Yes, it was a big boom. Against this back drop, Bill DeSmedt’s Singularity weaves a present day tale of an astrophysicist, a rookie agent and an analyst who unearth a scheme to capture the submicroscopic black hole that caused the Tunguska Event and use its awesome power to transform the world. If you enjoy Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton you will dig this taut, fast-paced thriller. It is well read by the author – voices and all with plausible near future science and technology.

WGA – Day 6 – Strike news and insight over at Diaretical Throw-Up by David Press

…what does the internet have to do with you watching so many damned re-runs.

With all that is floating about the internets about the writer’s strike, I thought that this succinctly addressed the writer’s perspective on why they are striking.

You are probably wondering why Simply Scripts, a screenwriting site, doesn’t have a ton of strike news. Simply answer is password snafu on Sunday left me unable to access my own site. However, since I try to have updates scheduled a couple days in advance, the site, of its own accord, continued to spew out updates without human intervention. I am now back in control.

First, shoutouts to Jack (putting up the announcement you sent me now won’t work, tho if you have other words of encouragement, please send ‘em over and I’ll get them up). And a shoutout to Sandy. Hope you can keep busy during this down time. I will have that most excellent update on the site shortly.

There is some excellent news and blogs from the front lines from folks like John August. Also, there is a page of multiple reports from the lines over at Deadline Hollywood Daily. The best information about the status of the strike (albeit one view of the status) can be found on the WGA (west) site. A lot of the big name writers are showing up in the papers and in the blogs talking about the strike. If any of the “Not so big” names want to send a report in, I’d be delighted to carry it on the site.

Lastly, while no one really knows how long this will last, one bit of ‘food for thought’ came to me from a couple of writers with regard to thinking that this is an opportunity to break into the biz. According to the WGA Strike Rules, “The Guild does not have the authority to discipline non members for strike breaking and/or scab writing. However, the Guild can and will bar that writer from future Guild membership.” (emphasis added) So, basically if you try to be opportunistic, you may very well screw yourself in the future. – Don

Update: This just in from Jack, “…I just talked to a few good people a WGA WEST and they say that any FILM STUDENT which means a person like myself who’s in college or some type of film school can participate. THE COLOR IS RED.”

LA Strike Locations and New York Strike Locations

Please join us to welcome into the world the latest Shelton production – Baby Shelton Patrick Michael Shelton. – 9lb 6 oz, 21 1/2 inches.

Joy to you with all our heart.

According to Mike, “Mom and baby are both doing well.”

Please join us in giving joy to Mrs. Shelton (with some minor assistance by Mike) in her most recent production here. – Don

Over on the Unproduced Scripts page we have 35 new or revised original scripts up for your reading pleasure.

With 30 or so new scripts going up a week, it is very difficult to give each and every script their day in the sun beyond having them featured as an Unproduced Script of the Day. Periodically I try to call out a couple of scripts here on the index page, but that is few and far between. Starting tomorrow (or the next day) I will be featuring one audio script a week here. You can also subscribe to the iTunes feed, if you are an iPod user. If you are not an iPod user, you can still listen to the audio file just as you did for Bull Creek. – Don