January 27, 2016

What Happens in Calabasas, Part 2.

Again, this disclaimer. This post contains porn actresses and golf. Be warned. If either offends you, turn back now. We’d played the charity golf tourney, scored […]
January 18, 2016

One-Fingered Gesture, Part 2.

  In retrospect, it might’ve been the slightest official revision I’d ever penned: a single line of dialogue accompanied by a line of action containing a […]
January 7, 2016

Confessions of a Teenage Fangirl.

  In the spirit of New Years, I thought I’d share this “only in Hollywood” moment. Firstly, I’m not a big fan of New Year’s partying. […]
December 16, 2015

’Tis the Season to be Easily Offended.

Okay. So it doesn’t require a season for the easily offended to be, well, you know. They’re out there, feelings fully exposed like hot electrical wires […]
December 9, 2015

Who You (Don’t) Know.

  “I got so friggin’ tired of trying to climb the hill,” claimed the preschool dad. “But it’s such a who-you-know business. Without the connections, guys […]
December 2, 2015

On the Outside Looking In.

I was still outside those unscalable gates. Pushing my mostly unread screenplays up that very steep hill called a future movie career. I was mere millimeters […]
November 18, 2015
Doug Richardson, Smoking Gun

Blogworthy.

It was one of those lunch meetings. Less business and more of a casual catch-up. The producer, a fellow I’ll call Shep, had picked an Italian […]
November 11, 2015

Hope in the Mail.

For ten years, she’d stuff the manila envelopes, address them to agents or publishers, plaster them with postage, then step outside the door of the four-hundred-square-foot […]
November 4, 2015

Saved by the Al.

As an artist, I both understand and live with an age-old axiom. My natural highs will be higher and more thrilling than most. As well, my […]
October 28, 2015

Yippee-Ki-Say-What?

Last week it was announced that a sixth installment of the Die Hard series was in development. I discovered this factoid by both reading about it […]
October 21, 2015

Asked and Answered.

I’ve done pallet-loads of interviews. As a general rule, they’re useful for promoting my books and the blog. The hardest part is making the answers to […]
October 14, 2015

Abracadabra.

I was trying to keep from getting fired. Now, this was obviously before I discovered my full magical powers. Otherwise, I would’ve just waved a wand […]
October 7, 2015

Lie to Me.

“You mind if I ask you something?” asked the middle-aged man. Uninvited, he had already lowered himself into the seat across from me. Before I could […]
September 30, 2015

Arbitration Octagon.

“Hello?” I said answering the “unknown number” on my cell phone. “Hi, it’s Kelly from the Writer’s Guild Credits Department,” said the perky voice. “I’m calling […]
September 23, 2015

Land Mines with Love.

  INT. A MULTI-TIERED CLASSROOM – CENTRAL COAST WRITER’S CONFERENCE – SAN LUIS OBISPO – DAY Here’s the scene. I was standing before a classroom theater […]
September 16, 2015

Producer Pig Pile.

Here’s an amusing time killer. As well it’s educational. Let’s call it a self-teaching moment. It happens sometimes when I’m connecting with an old pal who […]
August 26, 2015

Feeding Frenzy.

With the launch of 99 PERCENT KILL, I’ve been doing a fair amount of promotion. This has included a number of interviews. And I might say […]
August 12, 2015

Published, Produced, Punked.

There are some landmark moments writers wish for, wait for, and forever remember once they’ve materialized. Some of mine are as follows: The first time I […]
August 5, 2015

Feeling Lucky? Part 1.

“Bring me a franchise character,” urged my book agent. “Someone you can pin a series on.” I’d just published my first novel. I had a zillion […]
July 29, 2015

Feeling Lucky? Part 2.

It was as if the air inside that unmarked radio car had been atmospherically electrified. Not unlike those few warning seconds described by victims of lightning […]
July 22, 2015

Feeling Lucky? Part 3.

It’s been a few years since that (gratefully) unfateful night we stumbled into an almost shootout at the New Wilmington Gardens in Compton. I thought I […]
July 15, 2015

It’s True. I Really Suck at Success.

I suppose I’ve had some career success. But I would know this only because every so often I am told so. Be it in the form […]
July 8, 2015

How Real is Your Bulls**t?

Hi. My name is Doug Richardson and I’m a bull-shitter. That said, I’m not just any kind of bull-shitter. I’m a professional bull-shitter. A bold statement? […]
May 13, 2015

Read Me and Weep, Part 2.

After years of screenwriting success, plus countless meetings, pitches, business meals, and studio drive-on passes scotch-taped to my car window, not-to-mention a mile high stack of […]
April 29, 2015

Reality Check Please.

So I was buying a car last week. As many of you well know, it can be a bit of a grind. But there’s that swell […]
April 15, 2015

The Big Deep.

Jaws. You know the movie. I sure as hell do. That hot summer it opened, my parents took my sisters and I to see it at […]
April 8, 2015

Quick Draw McFlaw.

It was a black tie event. Cocktails and formal wear with possibly a charity involved. I recall standing amongst some writing peers, one of whom was […]
April 1, 2015

Zero the Hero.

Question. What’s your score? You know. Movie wise. How many millions have your pictures made? How many viewers have you been able to rack up with […]
March 18, 2015

Dirty Work.

If you’re looking for a lesson this week, turn around and don’t look back. But if a laugh at my expense seems appealing, by all means […]
February 25, 2015

The Sweet Stench of Success.

It’s funny how recall works. As I was sitting through the latter third of this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, I was imagining how the Monday workweek […]
February 11, 2015

When Good Dialogue Goes Bad, Part 1.

One of the benefits of being a writer is having or developing an innate ability to turn a phrase when the moment comes. Oh, and we […]
February 11, 2015

When Good Dialogue Goes Bad, Part 2.

The handcuffs were snug, though not quite cutting into my wrists. And the backseat of the Redondo Beach PD cruiser smelled like funk. As I sat […]
February 4, 2015

My Inner Charlie Sheen.

Ego. Yeah, I’ve got one. And so do most of you if you’re reading this. Those who deign to put something down on paper with the […]
January 28, 2015

Whatcha Gonna Do?

I’m going to name names today. Primarily because I can’t tell this story any other way. It loses too much if I hide behind pseudonyms. Fade […]
January 21, 2015

Thick. Thicker. Thickest.

I’ve had some pretty harsh knocks. The New York Times once accused me of wasting two hours of the film reviewer’s time. Before I wrote Bad […]
January 14, 2015

When the Pen is Mightier than the Award.

If there ever was a post where I wanted to name names, it is this one. Only I shouldn’t because I’m repeating a story told to […]
January 7, 2015

The Fog at the End of the Tunnel.

So it’s a school day. My turn to drive. Kids are ready, pile into the jalopy, seat belts, music, and away we go. The drive is […]
November 19, 2014

Brick by F***ing Brick.

There’s a comment I often hear. It’s usually in response to a story I’ve told, relating some sort of showbiz battle I’ve won, lost, or merely […]
November 5, 2014

Location! Location! Location! Part 1.

A screenplay I penned attracted a director, a dashing fellow I’ll call Sir Ian. A tall, rugged dude enjoying some serious Hollywood upswing, Sir Ian was […]
November 5, 2014

Location! Location! Location! Part 2.

“Get your heads down!” warned the driver. After a night of illicit research in some of the darker corners of New York City, Sir Ian the […]
October 29, 2014

Gun Shot Residue.

The gang banger was coughing blood. His entire left side was stitched with AK-47 holes, from thigh to collar bone. “His lung is filling with blood,” […]
October 8, 2014

Bored in the U.S.A.

It happened on a recent weekend. I’d bragged to my son about my bad old days of movie geekdom. I recalled for him a time when […]
October 2, 2014

Most Powerful Man in Hollywood.

  It was a pro forma meeting. A meet-our-new-writer-client kind of sit-down. My new rep had called for a gathering of the entire lit department in […]
September 17, 2014

Extra Credit.

It can be a battle for oxygen. The writer is in the room. The director is in the room. And sharing the precious air is that […]
September 10, 2014

The Pirate Movie Principle.

There’s an old kid’s joke that goes like this: You ask the child, “Hey. Did you hear what the pirate movie is rated?” And then when […]
September 3, 2014

Garbage In; Garbage Out.

Subject for your approval: Mr. Felton Farmer. This former big time TV exec-turned-producer thought himself to be a snob of sorts. Whilst he toiled in TV […]
August 13, 2014

What’s Your Number?

You’ve heard the terms to describe a certain type of person. All talk, no action. All sizzle, no steak. All foam, no beer. Or one of […]
August 6, 2014

The Three P’s.

My dad used to warn me. “Beware of the three P’s,” said my old man. “What’s that?” I asked, probably eight years old at the time. […]