VJs Power Blog

Writer / Director Jason Reitman has found a playful way to deal with the onslaught of questions asked during his current press tour for his new movie Up in the Air with George Clooney.

He’s made a pie chart.

The colors of slices indicate how many of the reporters questions have been about the film, vs. Clooney vs. the U.S. economy vs. his Dad, legendary director / producer Ivan Reitman.

I remember seeing Jason at the screening of Thank You for Smoking where he talked about how he had gone off to medical school on the East Coast, thinking that’s what he ’should’ do—but he was miserable.  His Dad told him to do whatever he loved—which happened to be the film industry—and the rest is history.

Jason Reitman brought us Juno.  And Thank You For Smoking.  And now, Up in the Air.

Don’t worry Dad.  That East Coast education still paid off.  Where else would you learn to do a pie chart?

LA Times columnist Steve Lopez reminds us there are stories everywhere. As he was rushing back to his office one day, he heard haunting music, turned and saw a homeless man playing a battered two-stringed violin. The curiousness of that scene prompted Lopez to stop, look, listen, and inquire. His story of the unlikely friendship that developed became his book “The Soloist” and now, the movie starring Robert Downey Jr.

Ray Bradbury talks of the Muse sitting on his shoulder, whispering stories into his ear. He does not question where they come from. He just writes. And whether they have a fantasy or sci-fi bent, they always have the human element at the core.

Over the weekend I went to the opening of the quirky R-rated dramedy “Expired.” In the Q&A afterwards, someone asked writer/director Cecilia Miniucchi where she got the idea for the film. She said she simply observed people. She watched meter maids on the street, writing tickets, and saw their different personalities and their interactions with drivers. She wondered– what if two meter maids fell in love? Oh no, that might be bad.

One day while strolling in Palisades Park I happened across a pile of discarded business clothes (see pic above). What’s the story behind THAT?

It can be anything.

The stories are out there. Everywhere. Stop and look. Sit still long enough to observe the human condition.

Your imagination is waiting for you to write it down.