Some news, from the Shanghai Daily:
For the first time, the NBA is partnering with a non-US film studio to release a major film overseas, the producers announced at a global press conference last night in the city.
Go on, SD.
In 1993, a screenwriter staked his burgeoning career on a movie about chess. His name was Steven Zaillian, and he might be the most important man in Hollywood you’ve never heard of: In the two decades since, he’s written (or cowritten) adapted screenplays for Schindler’s List and Clear and Present Danger and A Civil Action and Gangs of New York and Moneyball and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. His track record is not perfect (his adaptation of All the King’s Men, which he also directed, is considered a Heaven’s Gate-level Hollywood failure), but he is one of the few screenwriters capable of freeing a film from the shackles of literary tyranny — a reasonable case could be made that at least two of Zaillian’s screenplays defy the cliché and are actually better than the book (exactly which two is an argument for another day).
The original title for this piece was "Hockey in the Hood." It's catchy and slightly alliterative, something both Jesse Jackson and Walt "Clyde" Frazier would undoubtedly support. With that said, it also sounded like some short-lived, municipally funded, inner-city after-school program designed to teach the rules of the game to "troublesome" youth in dire need of constructive extracurricular options. On top of that, something about "hood" wasn't sitting well with me.
So I scratched it.
This isn't about any sort of program or initiative, but instead an attempt to illustrate the most fascinating neighborhood transformation I've ever had the privilege to witness.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim failed to upgrade their roster at the trade deadline, while the rival Texas Rangers made two big moves for relief help. The Angels remain in the thick of the AL West race, but they could definitely use some help. Here's one intriguing option for a potential stretch-run boost: They could re-sign Air Bud.
