Here Today Gone Today

You know, this is a nasty business. It will never fail to deliver in that regard. I had a 'phone meeting' with an executive two weeks ago at a good company, big players are partners. I.e. one player is a director of several boffo blockbusters over the last several summers. Keeps churning them out - bang - bang -

So this company's got some serious cache.

So I'm pitched on idea from a book by a top executive there, 'but throw the book out do what you want' which is a classic line I love when pitched an adaptation. Isn't that like going to a restaurant and they say 'hi, here's our lunch buffet, or just throw it all out and go into the kitchen and make anything you'd like?"

Anyway, he goes on about how this director loves this book, thinks it's a great movie idea, how he and the director were chatting, very good friends, very close, this guy is very invested in the idea of this book, would love it because his kids love it...etc.

I get it. I say. I'll think about. I'll call him back in a week.

The book by the way is idoitic. But that's it's own story. Can you mine something interesting from something that doesn't seem inspiring? Usually. Scrape away enough stupid and you can usually find a gem that has been obscured.

Or just throw the book out and keep a few adjectives.

So I call the guy back last week (7 days have passed from our chat now, remember?)

He's fired. Gone. No forwarding address or phone.

"So, he's really not in," I say to the receptionist. "No, he's really not in."