When I picked up my dad on the morning of the A’s final game in the Oakland Coliseum, I asked how he was feeling. In what has become his typical way, he shrugged, looked away and didn’t really say anything. My dad is an A’s fan. He’s just one of those A’s fans that has […]
We are all Unwritten. Natasha Beddingfield’s 2004 hit “Unwritten” is one of my favorite songs. The beat is magnetic and immediately gets me moving. There’s a yearning in her early vocals before we even start with the lyrics – and oh, those lyrics: I am unwritten Can't read my mind, I'm undefined I'm just beginning […]
Ryan Reynolds’ star power is soaring. He’s had a long string of solid hits, but nothing like what the role of Deadpool has done for him – and us. For all of the snark of Deadpool, Ryan, the man, also has tremendous depth and pathos that some don’t know as well. Ryan’s father, James, had […]
And I’m on a hunt for stories. Your stories. However this is not the story you know, it’s the one you don’t yet. This is the one you’re willing to go on an adventure to find. It’s a hero’s journey and I can say with great confidence I can help get you there. That doesn’t […]
Acknowledgement. Acceptance. Action. Those are three steps that are crucial in making a change. Some language from recovery and addiction treatment leaks its way from anonymous into the public sphere – and this is one of the very good examples of how practical some of it can be. It’s simple, but not at all easy. […]
Do you love movies? I do, too. It has grown from a fascination to a passion to nearly an obsession for me. As a teen I loved going to the theater. As a student at UCLA I learned how to write screenplays. As a doctor I’ve now learned how to take entire films apart and […]
In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne is technically an innocent man. He did not kill his wife nor her lover who she was cheating with. But as he learns, being technically innocent does not protect you from the indignities, monsters and dumb luck of life – particularly in prison. When Andy first met Red, he […]
Many people think of improvisation as just comedy. That’s understandable based on its popularity and the effect it has on audiences when it’s done well. It looks and feels like a very special kind of magic. But did you know that improvisation has its roots in social work? Viola Spolin applied the form in the […]
You can read the first part of this story here. Frank Darabont opened Darkwoods Productions to have a place to develop his work. He had several projects in consideration at the time, including The Mist. This was just before he discovered the comic book series for The Walking Dead (2005). I began to write to […]
Like many of you, I've been a Stephen King fan and Constant Reader since my first taste. For me it was reading Pet Sematary as a 13-year-old in 1983. While I enjoyed many of the films made from his work, Stand By Me absolutely floored me – and showed the world he was far more than a […]
