Los Angeles - Day #5

Garrett and Aaron

Trey and Mari

It's 1:00am and I'm just getting home from a long night catching up with friends, watching the Spurs beat some basketball team from somewhere I can't remember where and thinking up a fun new idea for a script.

Two really great meetings today. I have a lot to think about, a lot to consider. All good though. It's nice because the last time I was here I felt like I was peeking over the fence at the cool playground that the neighbors had. Now I feel like they're inviting me over to play. Who knows what will happen. I should go to bed instead of watching Even Stevens on Disney. Tomorrow's a big day.

Celebrity Sightings = 0
Parking Tickets = 0
Parking Tickets for Garrett = 1 (bummer)

Los Angeles - Day #4

I love my hotel room. It's cheap, convenient and it's mine. My friends rule for letting me sleep on their couches, but it's nice to have my own place where I can do my own thing and not worry about bothering anyone.

I had a great, great meeting with a manager. I learned a lot about the world of television writing. Both afternoon meetings were moved, so I met up with Garrett, grabbed New Moon from the bookstore, wandered the Farmer's Market and 3rd Street.

So this is what Los Angeles looks like right now. It's Indy mania. Billboards of Harrison Ford are everywhere you look.

Tomorrow, more manager meetings.

Celebrity Sightings = At dinner Courtney saw some guy from Project Runway, but I haven't seen much of this season so I wasn't sure who she was talking about.
Parking Tickets = 0

Driving in Los Angeles

Kat driving in Los Angles.

Garrett driving with Kat in Los Angeles.

Twilight

I finished the book last night and now I'm a crazed fangirl. I'm waiting for Garrett to get here so we can run to the book store to grab the next installment New Moon. I admit I couldn't get into the Harry Potter books, but Stephenie Meyer definitely sucked me in (no pun intended). I'm giddy over the teaser trailers, behind the scenes looks, stills ... I can't get enough of it.

Austin takes over LA Film Festival

It was officially announced today. Spencer, PJ, Jay and Matt are headed to the Los Angeles Film Festival in June.

Trinidad
Directed by PJ Raval and Jay Hodges
Executive Produced by Matt Dentler
Edited by Kyle Henry

I'll Come Running
Written and Directed by Spencer Parsons

If you're in Los Angeles when they screen, please god, go!!!

Los Angeles - Day #3

Good Day. Nice people. Kick ass meetings.

Watching BBC shows with Brad before heading to bed.

Learning to adjust to the lack of left turn signals in Los Angeles and reading the parking signs very, very carefully.

Sadly no meetings on the Warner Brothers lot lined up. But I might be touring Cartoon Network tomorrow. And one of my best friends from high school arrives in the morning and will be tagging along for the rest of my visit. Yes!

Celebrity Sightings = 0
Parking Tickets = 0

Los Angeles - Day #2

Los Angeles is a strange place. I like it, but it kind of freaks me out too. Again, I don't think I could live here. Small stints, yes. Forever, no.

Spent the morning in Santa Monica meeting friends of friends. Not realizing they were friends of friends until the conversation went from here to there and then "Oh my god, you know so and so, I know so and so." I'm continually amazed how small the film community is. How everyone is a few degrees separated from one another. It's pretty cool.

I had a late afternoon meet up with some friends in Burbank and got to spy the big Warner Brothers lot and NBC studios driving through the streets. No meetings set up for Warner Brothers, sadly. I hear it's really cool in there.

I forgot to take photos today. Sorry Mark.

Celebrity Sightings = 0
Parking Tickets = 0

Junie B Jones on Stage

Back when I was still working in a book store, I really, really, really wanted to figure out how to direct a film version of Nancy Drew. At the time, Nancy Savoca was working on an adaptation. So my hopes on that one were crushed. And then, of course, Andrew Fleming beat us both to the punch.

But now, now, I want to figure out who owns the rights to Junie B Jones. I love this character so much. She's such a little spit fire. Mark just sent me a note that they've taken Junie to the stage. There's a production coming to the Paramount Theater in Austin next January. I'm so there. So I think maybe while I'm here, I might scrounge around to find out who owns the film rights to Miss Jones. Hmmm ...

I'm also reading Twilight. Holy crapola, I love it! Can't put it down. Oh, Edward Cullen, so dreamy.

Los Angeles - Day #1

I'm so friggin' tired. 9:30pm in Los Angeles = 12:30pm in Boston. Oh my lord, I'm tired.

After a 2-hour afternoon chat with Aaron and a nice pizza dinner with Brad, Aaron and Debbie, I'm about to collapse.

Tomorrow I head to Santa Monica, back to West Hollywood and then to Burbank. It's a full day. Lots of driving. No down time.

Celebrity Sightings = Seth Rogen and James Franco. But this was in the Austin airport, so I'm not sure if that counts. I'm guessing there was a screening last night of Pineapple Express?

Parking Tickets = 0

12 Hours in Austin

After landing late last night, doing some laundry, watching Jonah Hill on SNL and catching up with my husband, I'm ready to turn around and head to warmer climates this morning. By the end of the Boston trip, I remembered why I don't live anywhere above the mid-West. It's cold, it's rainy, going outside seems like a task. But now I head to sunny Los Angeles and the weather report for the week says "Sunny, Clear Skies, BEAUTIFUL". Well, maybe not "BEAUTIFUL", but it's implied with the big, happy sun icon.

My mission for Los Angeles, take lots of photos. Mark loves the photos. Apparently I didn't take enough in Boston even though he loved the many, many pictures of tulips and trees.

So here's a sprinkling of photos from Boston. Flowers and friends.

Boston - Day #4

Today was the best day ever! I love it when my four year old niece says that. It's usually on her birthday or Christmas after opening millions of presents or jumping up and down in the princess bouncy house. But I have to say today was pretty awesome even without the bouncy house.

What I loved about today. Let me count them all.

1) Walking through the set of Bride Wars and drooling over their grip trucks and HMIs.
2) Watching the 1953 version of House of Wax (3-D) in the Coolidge Corner Theater.
3) Watching Looney Toons (3-D) before House of Wax.
4) Eating the most delicious sub from a sub shop the size of a closet.
5) Visiting lots of corner shops in the South End.
6) Eating cookies and a banana chocolate chip muffin.
7) Reading Junie B Jones and hoping that no one's set up to direct the movie just yet.
8) Setting up more meetings for LA, one on the Universal Lot. Yay!!! I feel like I'm 8 when I get to go on the lots. I'm hoping I get to go to Warner Brothers for some reason or another. I hear that lot is sweet.
9) And we still have Indian Food, Toscini Ice Cream, Cupcakes and NYC friends to look forward to.

Boston - Day #3

Today Boston became a vacation. Yes! After turning in my new draft of SITB and setting up a few more meetings in Los Angeles, I met Jackie for a stroll around town, lunch on Charles Street and a little shopping. We grabbed Michael for dinner at this super tasty Italian joint, Pomodoros in Brookline. Italian food is what I've been waiting all week for and man, oh man the Bolognese at Pomodoros nearly sent me into a tizzy.

We caught a Stars of the Lid concert at the MFA. Even though they're from Austin, I've never seen them live. The concert felt like a warped symphony, planetarium exhibit and rock show all rolled into one. I loved it. I don't remember the last time I went to a rock show. Explosions in the Sky probably a few years ago. But I will say that any rock show that's seated and starts at 7:30pm is golden in my book. I think I'm getting old.

Tomorrow the kids from New York City arrive. Sweet! I miss my friends!