Scott ordered some gear from B&H and it finally came in. He's pretty excited.

I got an interesting email today from Mike Joyner. He's the A.D. on Red 71. He was checking to see if anyone had any special dietary restrictions. This is how I replied...

Hi Mike,

I'd like Nelson's Donuts for breakfast, Cotten's burgers for lunch and Ball's fried chicken for dinner.

If that isn't possible, anything that leaves a grease stain on a paper plate is fine.

Look forward to meeting you.

Regards,

Ken

This will drive Patrick nuts. Those are some of his favorite foods in the world and he can only get them in Lake Charles.

Ah. Good times, good times.

Went to Office Depot and picked up a case of three hole paper for printing the scripts. I also picked up a couple of extra toner cartridges. You never know.

One more day and a wakeup.

Took last night off from the work on Red 71 or anything for that matter. Experiencing a little burnout.

Tonight was better. I finished the revisions to the script and sent it off to Patrick and to Scott. This will most likely be the last revision before shooting starts on Monday.

The biggest change was adding a new character to the sequence at Jack Kenny's Roadhouse. This is a role for Carol Anne. I made her a barfly.

I also rearranged some of the action with Freddy and Shane and the final sequence in the club. It seems to read better, but I'm just the writer.

If Patrick approves, I am going to print all thirty copies I need for the crew. I'd rather get that done now than when I am pooped on Sunday night.

Talked to Carol Anne about the apartments and they seem perfect. I let Chuck know and I will probably have him staying with me when he gets in.

Christy and I went to BAM tonight and met with Julie Fay. She was in a lather to get a script off to the Austin Film Festival.

The deadline is Friday.

Still thinking of sending Monster, but my heart isn't in it. Right now all I can think about is Red 71.

Julie was also addressing a whole stack of letters she was sending out to agents and production companies to promote her script.

Reminded me that I really, really need an agent.

Talked to Scott when I got home and he was telling me he thought one of the locations might have fallen through. He wasn't sure which one.

The caddy also fell through.

Sigh. This is a good night to take a break from writing.

I'm going to call Patrick and touch base tomorrow. I'll find out about the locations.

Memorial Day.

Christy had to work so I was home alone today. It rained.

I celebrated by eating three hot dogs for lunch and taking a nap.

Patrick sent me a picture of the car that Shane may drive in Red 71. Looks like a 1965 Cadillac DeVille two door convertible. May be an El Dorado.

White. Huge. I love it.

Scott and I have talked a few times in the last couple of days about housing and today we decided to stay at some corporate apartments that Carol Anne found.

They're very reasonable and we'll each have our own place so the snoring and fart contests are out.

I think they are big enough for me to share with Chuck when he comes in. I'll touch base with him tomorrow about it.

Worked on the next draft of Red 71 last night and off and on today. I'm up to page 49.

It's going slower than I like - I'm having a problem with focus. I think it's the excitement about the trip.

I have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.

Had a long conference call with Patrick and Scott last night. We went through the Red 71 script line by line and I took a lot of notes.

Very productive. We scrubbed up some of the dialog, rearranged a little action and firmed up some of the locations.

I got to bed at almost 3am and dropped into a coma.

Slept in a bit and had bagels and lox for breakfast. This is Christy's new favorite breakfast.

Went over to Scott's this afternoon and worked on his homemade dolly. It works great.

We messed around with the track a bit and watched a few scenes from Children of Men.

Tonight I started working on the next draft of Red 71. This may be the last draft until I get to Tucson.

Only five more days and a wake up.

Garage Sale. What an amazing look at humanity. We sold most of our crap and wrapped up at noon. Ate lunch (chicken salad sandwiches). Took a nap. Ate dinner (Mexican food). Bought groceries.

Made a pitcher of Mojitos.

Now, I'm ready for my conference call with Patrick.

Scott is on his way over.

I'm a doof. Patrick called earlier and left a voicemail. I didn't check it until almost midnight - right after I finished another draft of Red 71.

He would like to have a conference call this weekend. Woot!

I went ahead and send him the new draft. I also included Scott on the email.

Scott sent me a text message that said he was cutting our donut shoot. Can't wait.

It's midnight and I have to get up before God in the morning for the garage sale.

Off to bed.

Went through around thirty pages of Red 71 last night. This is the second revision to the shooting script. I'm going to try and get through the rest tonight.

I've added the coroner to the scene at the Sheriff's office. I've also made some changes based on the new locations. I modified the club scenes and the tone - more upscale.

I didn't change the trailer park yet - Patrick hasn't confirmed that. I'm sure I'll be doing another draft next week.

Have a garage sale in the morning. I have to get up at 0'Dark thirty.

I hate mornings.

After the sale, Christy and I are going to try to catch a movie (POTC) and maybe have some Sushi.

I tried working on The Foundry last night. Didn't happen. Too much on my mind. Looks like I'm going to have to shelve it until late June.

I think I'm going to bite the bullet and start working on the next draft of Red 71 tonight.

Patrick and I exchanged a couple of emails about Red 71 locations yesterday. He sent me some amazing shots of various stuff. I sent him a few photos of an apartment complex in Tucson that I thought would be perfect for Thelma's apartment.

He also asked me to revert back to the old names for Lorain and Geno (from Angie and Gypsy). Carol Anne suggested Delores for Lorain. I like it. And I like Tuck for Geno. Guess I'll have to wait.

Got a great email from Chuck. Turns out his concert plans fell through and he will fly in the morning of the 9th and be with us through the shoot. I think he's going to get along great with Scott and I.

Scott heard back from the guy with the movie guns and he's trying to sell the whole lot of them for $150. Pretty amazing deal. Patrick wants him to buy them.

I started making a formal list of what I need to bring today. I went over it with Scott. He thinks it's cute that I'm so excited.

It is cute. And I am excited. Wore my new shoes again today.

Tuesday night is BAM night. I worked on The Foundry until Scott arrived. I showed him my new shoes and he acted impressed.

Scott brought his son Bryce with him and Bryce has learned to flare his nostrils - over and over. It was awesome.

We talked about Red 71 for a while and then Patrick called him.

Michelle Belegrin is on board. :)

They chatted about locations for a minute then Patrick was gone.

Christy and I went to KDs for a late supper. I had a cheesesteak with extra mayo. I'm watching my weight.

Patrick called while I was there.

He wanted to know if Angus needed to carry a body part for any reason. The costume shop in Tucson was closing and they had a few extremities on sale.

I opted for an arm. Now I just have to figure out what to do with it.

Carol Anne met us after we ate and we chatted about the script and the characters. She had taken some wonderful notes and we had a good chat about that.

She also was hoping to get a ride back from Tucson with Scott and I. Unfortunately, there just won't be any room in my car with all the equipment, luggage, cooler, etc.

I wish that someone else was driving over from Lake Charles.

I just got home a few minutes ago and I think I'm going to work on The Foundry a bit more before bed.

Wrapped up the work for Jim Sherman last night and got it off in email. He responded almost immediately and was pleased with what I'd done.

I also sent him the most current versions of Borderland and Monster. Can't wait to hear back from him.

I'm going to send the same stuff (a logline, synopsis, detailed synopsis) to Patrick later today.

Patrick called a few minutes ago and talked to me more about Red 71 locations. He is thinking of moving all of the Club 71 action to this art deco theater he's located.

I like the idea. He's going to send me photos when he gets back to his office.

He hasn't gone to the dump yet, but he has located a couple of other desert locations. One is an old fuel or water tank. Nice.

He still hasn't heard back from Michelle Belegrin's agent and its making him nervous.

I'm postponing the next draft until this weekend. Patrick will have a lot more stuff to tell me about between now and then.

Scott ordered a boom pole and a shock mount today. He sounded pretty happy about it.

I ordered new shoes with skulls on them. They were shipped overnight.

Maybe one day production hardware like a boom pole will make me happy.

But not today.

Love my shoes. Ghastly yet refined.

Talked to Scott again tonight. Patrick called him today also, so we compared notes.

Corey Bond sent us a link the 48 Hour movie they made this last weekend. It included lots of guns. Scott found out that at least one of them is a movie gun and he's trying to borrow it for our trip.

We also talked about shooting the trip to Arizona itself. At the very least, it'll be something entertaining for the film group.

We would have talked more, but his wife interuppted him to request sex.

Talked to Patrick on the phone this afternoon about Red 71.

He's still waiting for an answer from Michele Belegrin's agent and that has him anxious. And of course he is fretting about the budget and the financing.

We talked a little about marketing. He's going to send out some notice about Angus before we start production. This will get some early buzz at some of the locations he's sent Mercy to.

He sent Scott and I several location shots today and the main purpose of his phone call was to discuss how they will impact the script.

He included shots of the Sheriff's office, the exterior of the the Sheriff's office and Charley's office at the club. We're going to move the interrogation sequence from the card room into the office.

He has some concerns about the scene in the desert and is going to look at the dump today. I really like the idea of shooting at the dump.

He is also looking for an alternate location for the trailer park - a house more in the style of the noir movies set in L.A. All good.

It looks like he has everyone cast except for the young Mexican man in the scene with Jack Kenny. He described some of the actors to me and I'm trying to get my head wrapped around how they look.

He also had another idea about Thelma that I'm going to work on. We also discussed an idea he got from Jim Sherman about Shane's money. I really like that one and think I have it worked out.

He hasn't read the last draft yet, but I need to get started on the next one. He may just have to skip one.

He is ridiculously busy.

I wish I were there to help him.

Talked to Jim Sherman for an hour and a half. He asked a lot of questions about the script development for Red 71 through each draft. It was a great conversation.

I asked him to look at Borderland and Monster. He said he'd love to.

What a day.

I stayed up until 3 AM working on The Foundry. I managed to add another 17 pages to the current draft. I also figured out a more direct way of presenting the first act. It moved my opening scene to the end of the act, but it reads much better.

Woke up late and had bagels and lox for brunch.

Patrick called shortly after from L.A. He spoke with Michelle Belegrin yesterday and she is very interested in Red 71.

The next step is for Patrick to talk to her agent. That should happen tomorrow.

Patrick also talked to me about more work for Angus Scrimm. He had some great ideas.

We're going to add him as background action to the scene with the sheriff and I'm going to write a new sequence we can run during the end credits.

Both bits will be dark, but funny.

And of course this will put The Foundry on hold again for a few days.

Patrick also mentioned his friend Jim Sherman. Jim is working on his thesis and is using Red 71 as the topic. Jim called after lunch to introduce himself and we scheduled a phone conference for tonight.

Jim was involved in early drafts of both Borderland and Monster. I'm looking forward to talking to him.

Chuck is scheduled to arrive in Tucson on the 8th and fly out on the 13th.

I sent Chuck an email and let him know that Angus Scrimm was shooting his scene for Red 71 on the 14th.

Chuck is leaving early to see The Police perform at Bonnaroo in Manchester, TN from June 14 -17. The four day event will include The Police plus a few dozen other acts.

He replied to my email and he's torn about this.

On the one hand, Angus is 81 years old. Most likely, Chuck may never have a chance to see him in person again.

On the other, The Police have reunited for this festival. That, too, may never happen again.

I hope he decides to come. Though I can't blame him for wanting to see Sting and The Police.

Two emails and a phone call from Patrick today.

The first email was a link to an album by The Friends of Dean Martinez. Patrick wants to use their music for Red 71.

The music was freakin' AWESOME. I loved the tracks for Rattler and Nile Blues. This music sounds like Red 71.

I hope he can put a deal together.

The second email was about Angus Scrimm. He's doing his scene on June 14th. I had sardines for lunch because I was thinking about that scene.

I skipped the peanut butter.

And the milk.

The phone call was late tonight. It looks like Patrick may have secured Michelle Belegrin to play the role of Lorain (Angie) in Red 71.

Michelle is an actress on a daytime show called Desire. She looks exactly the way I have pictured Lorain.

Patrick has talked to her agent and she is very interested in the part. Let's see how this works out.

Scott and I leave for Tucson two weeks from tomorrow.

The Austin Film Festival and Final Draft deadline for screenplay entries is June 1st.

Even though I'm busy with the actual production of one of my scripts, I hate not sending anything out this year. Julie has suggested that I send Monster. I'm also going to try and get The Foundry wrapped up.

There are some contests later in the year, but AFF is one of the big ones.

Why do I care? Working with Patrick is going to lead to an agent. But it could take a while.

I'm impatient. I want an agent now. An agent is my conduit to a full time writing career.

Talked to Scott late this afternoon. He talked to Patrick last night and was pretty jacked up about Angus Scrimm.

Patrick told him that he was going to use a soundstage for several of the interiors. A lot of work for Carol Anne. She's going out a week ahead of Scott and I to get most of the set work done.

The woman is amazing. Like some tiny little tornado.

On crack.

I've been thinking about the dialog in Red 71. In particular, Shane's dialog. I'd really like to cut it down, but I need to wait on Patrick. He still has one more part to cast. Thelma I think.

I've been wondering if he's started rehearsals.

While I'm waiting on him, I'm going to go back to work on The Foundry.

Patrick called me TWICE today. He was pretty excited. The first call was around lunch. Troy and I were at Pappy's and I was snacking out on a jalapeno cheeseburger. Possibly the world's best burger.

Patrick let me know that Angus Scrimm was reading my script as we spoke. That wonderful burger became a large undigestible ball in my stomach. Thought I was going to throw up. I was excited, but also nervous. Just like the time he told me Roger Corman was reading Gunplay.

He called me again a few hours later to let me know that Angus had agreed to be in our film. Wow. How cool is that?

It's Tuesday. BAM night. Christy and I went up and Julie met us there. I worked on the first act outline for The Pressman and did a bit more work on The Foundry. I really need to finish The Foundry.

Julie reminded me that the deadline for the Austin Film Festival is June 1. She suggested I send Monster. Good idea.

We had more greasy food at KDs. I love that place.

Scott finally read Red 71. He sent him comments in an email. They were pretty good.

He came over tonight and we worked on some scanning project he's doing and talked about Red 71 and the as yet unnamed documentary. He brought his production notebook and we talked about the trip quite a bit.

The visit also included beer and roast beef sandwiches. I think all visits should include them.

Mother's Day. I made breakfast for Christy this morning, then met with Scott around 11 to go and shoot the last day of Contraband Days. The weather was great and I got a splendid sunburn. We got a log of great coverage. I actually manned a camera for an hour or so toward the end.

Scott still hasn't read the latest incarnation of Red 71. I continue to rag him about it to no avail. Oh well.

I tried to take a nap this afternoon after I got in. Didn't happen. Too much on my mind.

Freddy called tonight. I put him off until after the shoot in June. I'm still excited about his project - just wish I had more time. I've been thinking about a title for that project. I like A Third Suspect.

Scott sent me three different graphics for the bumper sticker in Red 71. The bumper sticker reads "My kid boiled & ate your honor student."

The graphics were great.

A few days ago he also sent me a graphic for the Red 71 one sheet. It was awesome. He and I talked on the phone and I think he is having hats made up with the graphic.

Can't wait.

I got a call from Patrick today. He was really excited.

He made an offer to Angus Scrimm's agent. It was for about half what the agent requested. But I suppose its a good starting point for negotiation.

Patrick also said he had a new idea - for Borderland. It was a new visual for a nude scene in the script and it was great.

I'm glad he's thinking about Borderland. I love that script.

Finished another draft of Red 71. I think this is the fifth. It's the first revision to the shooting script.

I'm surprised this went so smoothly. The only problems I had involved the production tools in Final Draft - locking pages and scenes. But I got it figured out.

Made quite a few changes based on Patrick's notes and on the new scene with the coroner. I decided to replace Shane's cigar with a Zippo lighter.

I sent off the new draft to Patrick and to Scott.

I included the following in my email...

My paternal grandfather was born in 1899 and spent most of his life in Mississippi and north Lousisiana. He died in 1972. I was 14. He worked as a school teacher, preacher, sharecropper - pretty much anything. In the late 1960's he worked as the night man at an all night Texaco station out on the highway. My dad, my brother and I used to go and visit him when we were in town.

He would sit in a metal folding chair near the soda machine in his faded green Texaco uniform and chat with my dad. As he talked he would flip a well worn silver Zippo over and over in his calloused hands. To emphasize a point in the conversation he would flick the lid of the Zippo open and then snap it shut. I remember when he was agitated he would do this over and over.

He was usually agitated when my brother and I were there. We were always bored and pestering him or my dad for change for the soda machine. My grandfather taught me how to pour a packet of Tom's salty peanuts into a 7 ounce Coke and drink them straight from the bottle. I'd drink the Coke while my brother chased june bugs and fireflies. When he'd killed them all, he would jump up and down on the pneumatic hose to hear the service bell ring. My dad would have to threaten him with bodily harm to get him to stop. My grandfather never said anything. He would just snap the lid of that lighter open and shut over and over.

It's strange how small things in your life come back to you, isn't it

Also made reservations for Scott and I at the Studio Six in Tucson. It's about 8 miles from Patrick's house.

Patrick called today and told me he was interested in using Angus Scrimm as the coroner in Red 71.

Angus was the 'Tall Man' in Don Coscarelli's 1979 horror film Phantasm. He's been in dozens of horror films since then and is one of the most widely known horror villains. He's also 81 years old.

Patrick contacted Angus's agent to see how much it would cost to have him in the film. Considering out budget - a lot.

Patrick asked me expand the coroner scene to better showcase Angus. We talked about different ways to do this and most of them were pretty funny.

Dark, but funny.

Patrick was excited and by the end of the phone call I was too.

Patrick and I had a two hour phone call tonight. Longest I've ever spoken to him at one time.

We went through Red 71 page by page and went over his development notes.

It went really well. The only troublesome bit was when he told me to lose Shane's cigar and give him something else to do with his hands. I use the cigar as a visual element throughout the script.

I'll figure it out.

Talked to Patrick tonight. Everything is looking good for the shoot in June.

We talked about using the production tools in Final Draft to lock down the pages and the scenes. I don't have much experience with that, but I told him I would figure it out.

We scheduled our detailed run through for tomorrow night.

I just remembered that his aunt just passed away and he flew up to Idaho (?) for the funeral. We didn't really talk about any of that.

Funeral today.

I've taken the week off. I'm having a hard time sleeping.

Christy has been great.

I'm so lucky to have her.