bad banana blog

Everything for Nothing

Harlan Ellison is one writer you don't want to piss off. If he feels the Hollywood system has damaged one of his screenplays, he'll alert the world by slapping his "I don't like this piece of crap" pseudonym on the final product (Cordwainer Bird, by the way). Once, he allegedly (and famously) assaulted fellow author and critic Charles Platt at an awards banquet, although no charges were ever filed. And in this video, he goes off about the Hollywood system that expects writers to give their work away for free. He doesn't mince words when it comes to amateurs, either, and how they contribute to the dysfunction. (He also uses a few choice words you may not like to blare from your computer.)
    The clip is from an upcoming documentary about the life of this prolific writer. In light of the current Writer's Guild of America strike, his words are especially poignant. Take a look.

Billy Collins Action Poetry

You owe it to yourself to spend some quality time with this site. I mean, this is amazing. Here you have the poetry of New York's Billy Collins brought to life through animation. They call it Action Poetry.
    Collins is the former Poet Laureate of the United States (2001-2003). His poems are witty, powerful, and very accessible (he prefers the term hospitable). The various animators involved with this project have done a great job translating spoken words to moving images. I especially admire the artful and subtle animation of The Best Cigarette. Be sure to watch Forgetfulness and Some Days, as well.
    Highly recommended.
    By the way, Collins once said this about the early process of writing a poem: "Stepping from the title to the first lines is like stepping into a canoe. A lot of things can go wrong." Quite a few of us advertising copywriters know a thing or two about that danger, as well.

Via Ernie Schenck.