James Franco returns

Couldn't help it. For your entertainment...check out this clip on Funny or Die. http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ab25302c8e/james-franco-s-rejected-ucla-commencement-speech

They liked it. They really liked it!

Two agents have weighed in on my book. Agent #1, on whose critique of the first 75 pages I bid at a charity auction, said, This delivers. You have quirky characters, and people up to no good. I love the humor in the book; you’re very funny.

Here's the but. When I asked if she'd be interested in representing it, she said it wasn't her kind of book; she tends more towards family dramas. But - she did ask me to send her the rest of the manuscript, which she looked forward to reading.

And in even better news....I asked the agent who'd requested the full manuscript a few months ago for a status report. And she said,
We have been considering your manuscript, which we think is very good, but needs some revisions before we'd be able to take it on. We thought that ANIMAL CRACKER was very funny, well-paced, and irreverent. The heroine is brash and relatable, which makes what could be conventional chick lit feel fresh and engaging. We did think, though, that the second half of the book could use some work...the resolution, even for such a lighthearted work, came too easily. We'd love to see a revision that addresses these ideas.

I shall revise away.

An Open Letter to Alec Baldwin

Dear Alec,

You first caught my eye in Married to the Mob. You were adorable in It's Complicated. And you make Thursday my favorite day of the week as Jack Donaghy.

Next up for Alec Baldwin - the film version of Animal Cracker, my yet unpublished, megahit-to-be novel. Don't miss the chance to star as the malapropping, conniving, philandering boss (who makes Jack look like a pussy) at the novel's center. Buy the book, get it published and you own the Academy Award-winning role.

Come on, get in touch, put up your feet and enjoy reading your next part!

All my best,
Andi Brown

I won!

Okay, folks, we're in do-or-die territory. No word back from the two agents who requested the full manuscript, and a bunch more rejections. So, I just wanna know - is this thing publishable or not?

Grub Street, Boston's fantastic writer's organization, recently auctioned off manuscript critiques by several VERY esteemed literary agents - and I won TWO!. I spent waaaaaaay too much money. But I need the definitive word. I sent off the requested 75 pages to both yesterday, and I intend to ask them point blank: Is this thing worth putting more time into or should I drop it?

Hold your breath with me!

James Franco: The Final Chapter

Well, I think I've "Milk"ed this James Franco thing all I can. For now, ciao, James Franco, and good luck with all your endeavors.

An Open Letter to James Franco

Dear James Franco:

First, can I just tell you how long I've loved watching you perform? Since Freaks and Geeks, that's when. Okay, I didn't really watch it until last year, but still. And your performance in Howl? Wow!

Now, James, imagine a game-changing role in a HUGE film. Based on a best-selling novel that, along with its commercial appeal, is funny and, yes, smart. Like you. And like YOUR character in the movie.

Who isn't nice. At all. Aren't you eager to play a jerk, a ne'er-do-well, okay, a real asshole?

You, James Franco, have first dibs. Because the book isn't published yet. I'm pleased to offer you a first look. You have nothing to lose. Come on, get in touch, put up your feet and enjoy reading your next role!

All my best,
Andi Brown

Two degrees of James Franco

The other day, I turned on the radio five different times, and every single time, guess who was on, promoting his new movie, Howl, the Allen Ginsburg biopic. James's ubiquity cries out for some additions to the lexicon. To wit:

Jamesed: overcommitted. "I know I said I'd meet you tonight, but I'm totally Jamesed, what with my lecture on tools of the Mesozoic era at the museum, followed by my guest star turn at the American Ballet Theater. Sorry!"

Pulling a Franco: Engaging in intense study of wildly diverse subjects. "Hello prestigious university registrar. Could you please add to my Ph.D. in biocarbon dating of insect fossils another in anthropomorphism in 17th century Ghanain poetry. Oh, and throw in that class on Writing a New Greek Tragedy, would ya?" "Wow, you are really pulling a Franco."

Franco'ed up: On an adrenaline high from lack of sleep. "Ten cups of coffee, ten minutes of snoozing and I am way Franco'ed up. Think I'll go to med school."

Two degrees of James Franco: The latest parlor game, in which James Franco is connected to everyone. You (blog reader) ----Me (blogger) ----James Franco (star of the movie version of my novel).