Category — Funny TV and Movies

1.  The summer hit “Bridesmaids” celebrates raunchy chick comedy. Chicks like raunchy!  Nothing wrong with a little crude and rude humor in the appropriate setting.

 2. Chicks are SO sick of raunchy guy comedies . . .  Old School, The Wedding Crashers, Hangover, etc., etc., infinity and beyond.

3. Chick comedies feature hot guys. FINALLY!  Well, why not? Who says we can’t admire male beauty just like men admire female beauty.

4. Chicks like to bond over the timeless chick themes found in chick comedies.  Bad bridesmaid dresses, hot guys who are dumb, true love, stuck-up girls always getting everything they want.

5. Chicks usually go on chick outings before or after a chick comedy. Chicks like two back-to-back events. Dinner and a movie. Drinks and a movie. A manicure and a movie.

6. In chick comedies, chicks are in leading roles. They are NEVER just eye-candy. They have brains, and purpose, and sure they may be attractive, but they are never stupid . . .  and yeah they might make mistakes . . . but they’re not BRAINLESS woman waiting for a man to take care of them.

7. Chicks like to go to the chick comedies and eat a large BUCKET of popcorn instead of a meal. (Ok, this chick likes to do that)

8. Chicks like to bring their husbands and or boyfriends to chick comedies and laugh obnoxiously, whistle at the hot guys, and do all the things they’ve been forced to endure at guy comedies. Call it payback.

9. Chicks are glad there is something more out there than the  sappy, bring your hankie chick flick.

10. Chicks rule. So should their movies!

Pitches, Hooks, and Loglines, Oh my!

Pitches, Hooks, and Loglines, Oh why! 

Because some people have short attention spans.

Because some people want to be intrigued before they commit.

Because some people don’t have the time to read your book, your synopsis, or even your cover letter.

 What makes a good pitch, hook, and logline?

Verbs and nouns that pack a punch, conflict, humor, drama, and ununsual but relatable plots aka HIGH CONCEPT plots. 

What is a HIGH CONCEPT plot? A story that appeals to a lot of people.

Here are some examples of pitches, hooks, and loglines.

United by a history they cannot discuss, yet starkly alone in their private struggles, father and son confront their demons and one another in a stand-off that will change them both forever. Poles Apart by Audrey RL Wyatt

Long-suffering sports widow is repeatedly thwarted in her unconventional attempts to murder the armchair jock husband she may still love. To Kill An Armchair Husband, a dark comedy by me, Terri Weeding

And . . . here’s my new favorite logline.  A rancher tries to stop king-sized, hopped-up carnivorous rabbits as they roar through Arizona.  Night of Lepus, movie  

 Notice the use of strong adjectives like king-sized and hopped-up. And ”roared”, well, can’t get much more powerful than that for a verb.

As for an unusual but relatable plotline . . . 

I live in Arizona so I can testify to the existence of giant-sized, hopped-up, carnivorous bunnies.

Yes Man (2008) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRv4CoXQoAQ

A great comedy for  2011 with a great message . . . Just Say Yes!!

Say yes to the possibilities in your life.

Say yes to adding more fun, more HUMOR, more joy to your life.

Laugh until your stomach hurts and tears are rolling down your face. It’s the best therapy AND it tones your abs.

Funny Excerpt from the movie.  (Carl Allen and Alison riding a scooter)

Alison: Am I going too fast for you?
Carl Allen: Nah. In fact, I think you should go faster. That way if we crash, at least I’ll die. I just don’t wanna be kept alive artificially.

Say Yes!

This excerpt is from Nora Ephron’s hilarious screenplay and movie, When Harry Met Sally . . .

Harry –  I had my dream again. Where I’m making love and the Olympic judges are watching. I’ve nailed the compulsories, so this is it. The finals. I get a 9.8 from the Canadian. I get a perfect 10 from the American. And my mother, disguised as an East German judge, gives me a 5.6. Must have been the dismount.

Yeah, I guess we could call this 1989 movie an oldie (consider the East German reference) but it’s far more than just a goodie. It’s hysterical. As I say repeatedly, humor is all about the dialogue and Ms. Ephron sure can write it.

The flick is a must for those who love romantic comedies. The screenplay is a must for those who want to write light humor.

Let’s not forget about the infamous scene in the diner when Sally um, fakes, um, well, you either know what I’m talking about or you don’t.

Psst!  That scene I’m talking about? I think it’s posted on Youtube. 

No . . . I’m not giving you a link. Go find it yourself!

More of my favorite excerpts from my favorite comedies next week.

Don’t you just love to laugh?

 The classic mother-in-law. Mother Mona, from my novel, To Kill An Armchair Husband, a dark comedy is such a character. Mother Mona is annoying, judgmental, and has overindulged her son from day one.

 It’s a lot of fun and surprisingly easy to write an over-the-top character like the classic mother-in-law. This is how I did it.

1. I created her personality. Mona is overdramatic, narcasstic, and a martyr. She’s obsessed with her only child, cooking and cleaning, and she waits on her husband, hand and foot. Oh, and no woman could ever be good enough for her baby boy (adult son).

2. When I wrote Mona’s dialogue and actions,  I grossly exaggerated her speech, thoughts, movements,  actions, reactions…everything.  

3. Major characters and major secondary characters should all experience some type of transformation as the story progresses. In keeping with Mona’s dramatic personality, her transformation was extreme as well. 

For a taste of Mother Mona, read this excerpt from Chapter 14: Mamma’s Not Happy.

Five years ago, minutes before Charlene walked down the aisle to wed her only child, Mona presented her future daughter-in-law with a laminated copy of her baby boy’s favorite dinners. The comprehensive seven-day meal plan included entrées, corresponding side dishes, and the perfect desserts. On the flip side of document, she included every recipe and the brand name of all the ingredients so that Charlene could duplicate each meal without fail.

What better gift to give a new bride? The ultimate time-saver, one guaranteed to save Charlene hours of trial and error in the kitchen. A gift to please a husband in the most important area — his stomach.

Mona picked up the bucket and carried it to the laundry room. As she dumped out the muddy water, she sighed at the memory of her own generosity. Charlene had never appreciated the gift. To make matters worse, she had resisted every attempt Mona made to guide her in the fine art of homemaking and husband attending. Consequently, Mona felt the need to check on her son’s well-being on a regular basis.

Starting the day Billy and Charlene returned from their honeymoon, Mona called every night at seven o’clock sharp. Her objective was two-fold; to find out if Charlene bothered to make the correct side dish and to discover whether she went the extra, but necessary mile, to produce a dessert.

“No meal is complete without dessert.” It was her favorite line. In her mind, she addressed an audience composed of look-a-like Charlene’s, slender of waist and disdainful of traditional ways.

Much to Mona’s chagrin, in the last few years Charlene stopped making dessert all together. She claimed Billy was overweight. Mona disagreed. Her son was simply big-boned, like his father.

As she rinsed and squeezed the water from the mop, Mona fretted about her son’s deprived stomach. She felt his pain and nightly disappointment. “Oh my poor Billy,” she moaned, imagining her son’s sweet tooth throbbing in agony.

Creating an over-the-top character is a blast.  It’s a great writing exercise too, as it will help you to flesh out your character.

I highly recommend it!

Big Bang Theory Clip

I love the Big Bang Theory on CBS. It just moved to Thursday nights.

Check out the clip above.

The dialogue is witty and I imagine amazingly hard to memorize.

I loved the sterotypical  science geek… grossly exaggerated.

Chuck Lorre, who did Dharma and Greg, is truly one funny guy.

I always laugh my head off.

And that’s a really good thing to do every week!