Monday, July 20, 2009

Paul Solomon Takes His Annual Summer Break

There is no perfect crime. We live in an imperfect world. But Gerald Applethorpe thought he could come close (but not too close, or there'd be no story).

A gun would be too obvious; an axe too uncommon for contemporary mayhem. No, it would be something easily available, perhaps a shovel. A large one. The gardener comes on Thursday.

So begins my novel.

I will be taking my annual summer break from writing this blog. For the next two weeks I will be working on my other writing projects.

In addition to my novel, I'm currently working on a rewrite of a screenplay with my writing partner Vincent Blanco. I can't disclose the details of it right now, other than the fact that it's a romantic comedy set in the worlds of advertising and coffeehouses. It will be low budget, similar to all the crap that Tyler Perry puts out, only funnier - and with Jewish people. Don't expect any car chases or explosions. Here's a rundown of my other projects:

I’m producing a reality show that I hope will be picked up for the 2009-2010 season. Because the television networks have been cutting costs, I’m putting my detective show on hold. All the networks have passed on my crime show about an alcoholic bipolar homicide detective and his sexy young female partner who work the streets of South Central L.A. looking for murdered tourists. Even filming in Vancouver would be too expensive, so even though CBS likes the pilot script, it’s just too expensive to film, especially if I get my first choice, Christian Slater, who commands a high salary. ABC was initially interested. They wanted Pauly Shore for the lead, but he wanted too much money and his own trailer, so they passed.

It’s all about the budget, so that’s why I’m switching to reality shows. I’m pitching my new show, called “Dumb Factor,” a remake of “Fear Factor,” which ran on NBC from 2001-2006. For $5,000, contestants will bungee-jump off a freeway overpass with an extremely frayed rope. The cars will run over the contestants until someone is stupid enough to get out and help, also getting splattered onto the pavement in slow-motion. This scenario will keep repeating until the commercial break. All that we’ll see after the commercial will be a bunch of dead bodies and a massive pile-up of Camrys. The winners will now compete for the second stunt, jumping out of an airplane with a placebo parachute, after which an Internet poll will be taken for the viewer to guess the winner. For those wanting to be a contestant, sign-ups will be on our website at www.stupididiot.com . This show will be perfect for ABC’s schedule, because they’re in the process of cancelling all scripted shows.

As you can see, I have a very busy schedule. When I return from my break, this blog will run once a week instead of every day, so that I can devote time to my other projects. I look forward to your comments and feedback on my articles.

Thank you for the unprecedented support for my blog. Many readers have asked for more information about me. I graduated from Hudson University in New York with a B.A. in criminal justice. I started my writing career at the Los Angeles Daily News where I honed my skills writing obituaries and getting coffee for the city desk editor. I was fired for making fliers for my band on the company copying machine.

After many years in the music business playing trumpet and keyboards, I quit to work full time as a freelance journalist. After that, I became a consultant and news commentator. I then took off a year to try to sell my television scripts and reality show ideas. Now I'm concentrating on my screenwriting career. The media can contact me through my representatives.

12 comments:

  1. I'll have my agent contact your agent and they can do lunch.

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  2. Have fun focusing on your other writing projects. I had to do the same a couple of months ago while I was busy writing the first draft of my new novel. BTW, the beginning of your novel sounds great. :-)

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  3. Good luck on your other writing projects, but I'll miss your daily blog. I hope you'll be back soon.

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  4. Hey Paul, please send me a signed first edition of your book when it comes out. Thanks!

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  5. When will Paul Solomon be returning?

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  6. I miss your daily blog. You're only coming back once a week? Maybe you'll reconsider.

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  7. A signed copy of your novel would be nice, after all the positive feedback I've been giving you in your comment section. By the way, your reality show should be a hit. Finally a show that tackles real life as it's supposed to be. As for your detective show, how about AMC or USA channels. I'm sure cable will give you a chance. Obviously the "big 3" networks are cutting budgets. ABC should be ashamed of themselves. Look what they did with Christina Applegate's show. She got nominated for an Emmy! Why cancel "Samantha Who?"? Obviously, money. If your projects are low budget, they have a chance. For now, I agree, you'll have to keep the car chases and explosions to a minimum. Except for shows like "Burn Notice" on USA, the shows are becoming less action-oriented and more character-driven, like Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" and especially shows like "In Treatment" (HBO). Hopefully the major networks will lose their audiences to cable and learn a lesson. Otherwise, all that will be left will be reality shows. I'd stick to writing the novel. And I'll be watching for your blog, even if it's only once a week.

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  8. Never again will I read your blog during class. Laughing out load is generally frowned upon in that sort of situation.

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  9. Didn't you say two weeks? Where have you been, Paul Solomon?

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  10. A friend of mine just emailed me one of your articles from a while back. I read that one a few more. Really enjoy your blog. Thanks

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