People & News
The Buzz
Mentoring and WGA Head Charles Holland Calls it Quits

Live from the WGA Awards

Anatomy of a Spec Sale
What A Mans Gotta Do: Can a pair of UK-based travel writers sell a spec in Hollywood?

American Film Market Report
It may not be as chic as Cannes, but every year the American Film Market sells thousands of films.

People
Robert Kosberg
Michael Pressman

Production Co. Spotlight
Eight companies and what theyre looking for.

DVD Spotlight
Costners Western Trilogy: Wyatt Earp, Open Range, Dances With Wolves: Special Edition

Lost Scenes
City of God

Breaking In
Mike Samonek
Hans Rodionoff

The Code
How does Mark Cuban always know the next best thing?

Why I Write
Larry Gelbart really wanted to be a musician, but because of a barbershop and a funny father he became one of the best comedy writers in the business.

Coming Soon...
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Kerry Conran made a short film that wound up launching his career and giving him complete control for his effects heavy feature. Did the story get equally as intensive attention? By Jeff Goldsmith

Coffee and Cigarettes
Always provocative, never predictable, Jim Jarmusch has, once again, given audiences something to savor after they leave the theater. By Nancy Hendrickson

The Day After Tomorrow
It's the end of the world as we know it, and first-timer Jeffrey Nachmanoff and sci-fi vet Roland Emmerich know why. By Jeff Goldsmith

Napoleon Dynamite
Jeff Goldsmith finds out how first-timers Jared and Jerusha Hess let their inner-geeks shine all the way to the bank. By Jeff Goldsmith

The Stepford Wives
Will this Paul Rudnick scripted remake feel too robotic or will its comedic tone connect with audiences? By Jeff Goldsmith

The Clearing
First timer Justin Haythe's screenplay kidnapped the attention of Redford and Dafoe and Haythe tells Jeff Goldsmith why he thinks audiences will follow. By Jeff Goldsmith

Columns
The Busine$$ of Screenwriting
Post-Oscar, Pre-Strike Blues
The blur between fiction and reality has spilled over into the latest crisis to encompass the Guild. by Ron Suppa

Writer Beware!
David v. Goliath in Hollywood Stolen screenplay lawsuits are making headlines as more writers fight back in court. by Steve Ryfle

Agents Hot Sheet
The Big Money (Part 1)
When to bluff, when to shut up and take a lowball offer, and when to go for the big money. by Jim Cirile

Belly of the Beast
Agents & Managers
The proliferation of manager-producers and what dangers may lurk beneath for writers. by Michael Lent

Our Craft
Teach Yourself: The Sequel
More on how to discover the inner workings of screenplays on your own. by Jeff Newman

The Contest Beat
Hone Your Craft, Then Enter
Entering a screenwriting contest should be the last thing you do after you decide to write a movie. by Patricia B. Smith

The Final Scene
Troy by David Benioff

Features
Writing the Tentpole Movie
With production costs spiraling out of control, is there a way to preserve a great story in a tentpole picture? Jeff Goldsmith asked the experts: Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio, Rolland Emmerich, Jonathan Hensleigh, Graham Yost, Dean Georgaris, and Jeffrey Nachmanoff. You might be surprised at their answers. By Jeff Goldsmith

Troy: David Benioffs Trojan Horse Screenplay Conquers Hollywood
Who would think an ancient Greek poet like Homer, and a modern-day American screenwriter like David Benioff would have anything in common? But like Homers The Iliad, Benioffs Troy is an epic account of the Trojan War. David F. Goldsmith digs up the intelligence on Benioffs impressive victory over big-screen mediocrity. By David F. Goldsmith

Second-Act Troubles: Sustaining Your Screenwriting Career
Tom Matthews saw the first spec he sold turned into a major motion picture, and then the fun began. Here he speaks candidly about the unforeseen challenges which can derail a career, and helpfully offers warnings which the aspiring screenwriter needs to hear before that first sale. By Tom Matthews

The Golden Rules of Writing Comedy
Writing comedy is serious business. This difficult genre presents its own unique challenges for new writers and veterans, but were here to help with advice from some of Hollywoods leading comedy scribes such as Curb Your Enthusiasms Larry David and Airplanes David Zucker. by Josh Spector

Gale Force: A Conversation with Back to the Future Writer Bob Gale
When Bob Gale met Robert Zemeckis at USC and started writing scripts together, it was personal and professional kismet. Now Gale recalls the long road they traveled before the monster success of Back to the Future, and why the story of a man with a plan and a burger stand may be his best film yet. by David Konow

Where Are All the Black Screenwriters?
Despite lip service paid to recruiting minority writers, only a handful of todays working screenwriters are African-American, and theyre usually limited to comedies and action. Can the barriers and stereotypes be broken? by Steve Ryfle