Filmmaking

Some time in summer of ’99 Michael was lunching with Tom Strickler, one of the partners at Endeavor. The topic of Sideways came up. Apparently, Jess’s replacement, Brian Lipson, was under the false impression that all of Jess’s projects and clients had left with him. Well, left with him where? Michael wondered to Tom, given that Jess had left the business entirely and decamped to South America. Michael arranged a meeting between he, Brian, and me. Lipson had read Sideways, loved it, and agreed t...

Looking back, I think the raw, personal subject matter – especially given that it was a roman-a-clef of sorts and the undisguised fact that she was a character, if in absentia – must have been hard for her to swallow. I was devastated. Was Jess that wrong? Barbara augured it was going to end my career. I reminded her that I had no career! I argued that I had no choice but to go out with it and test the waters, I so desperately needed something, anything, to happen. Realizing that I wasn’t go...

100 pages into the writing I was once again faced with my inability to pay the rent. A woman friend who worked in the wine business came over to share a bottle of something special she had purloined from the wine store and, I learned later, to seduce me. My head was so wrapped up in Two Guys on Wine that I was oblivious of the seduction part as I no doubt prattled on to her what I was working on with great enthusiasm. She was enthused by my, well, enthusiasm. I did something I swore I would neve...

My Life on Spec: The Writing of Sideways In 1990 my life was in the veritable Dixie Dumpster. My second indie feature, From Hollywood to Deadwood, had been butchered by its distributor and released to critical opprobrium. My wonderful wife and I split up for reasons that would make this story way too long. Worse, my mother was felled by a massive stroke that left her wheelchair-dependent with full left-side paralysis. My younger brother, out of ostensible altruism, brought her back home after...

In October of 2004, I was living in Scottsdale, Arizona. At the time, I was editing a national men's magazine called Razor. There are many perks to co-owning and editing a magazine, but perhaps none bigger than the swag. Everyone wants coverage and they're willing to send you just about any item, big or small, to secure a couple of column inches. In October of 2004, I was living in Scottsdale, Arizona. At the time, I was editing a national men's magazine called Razor. There are many perks to...