Ironic how Hustle and Flow fits

Hustle and Flow may not have had the kick-backs that some may have hoped for, but the title sure fits into what we are going through. As long as we Hustle the money should Flow, and we can have our own worries about kick-backs.

Why do it yourself?

From the L.A. Times

For all the sacrifice and luck, the cash isn't flowing
The "Hustle & Flow" team hasn't seen the profits it expected. So who got them?

By Rachel Abramowitz, L.A. Times Staff Writer

A mere 10 months ago, the filmmakers, actors and producers of this year's Sundance sensation "Hustle & Flow" were celebrating the sale of their hip-hop romance about a pimp trying to rise above.

It seemed like a fairy tale ending to a grueling indie saga. After getting rejected all over town, novice filmmaker Craig Brewer finally persuaded producer John Singleton to pony up a couple of million dollars of his own money to make the film. Brewer, producer Stephanie Allain and actors Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, and DJ Qualls had all worked for close to scale in return for a piece of the profits. And now it looked like there was going to be a pot of gold for the filmmaking team.

After all, at this year's Sundance film festival in January, the film sparked a frenzied bidding war, which resulted in Paramount-MTV agreeing to pay producer and financier Singleton $9 million for the right to distribute the film, which only cost him close to $3.5 million to make, and paid him an additional $7 million to develop two more films.

But Brewer, for one, has yet to see a cent; neither have Anderson, Allain or Howard. And Singleton is publicly irate at being cast as the heavy by colleagues whose careers he effectively helped launch.

Unfortunately, profit disputes are a dime a dozen in Hollywood, but in this case, the dispute does not involve the gray-faced studio with tortuous studio accounting but the film's onetime savior: Singleton, best-known as the director of such films as "Boyz N the Hood" and "2 Fast 2 Furious." Indeed, during the 22-day Memphis, Tenn., shoot of "Hustle & Flow," Singleton and Brewer bonded over their mutual love of the raw hip-hop sound called Dirty South, the province of such rappers as Lil Jon and Ludacris, who also appeared in the film. The producer and his protégé were so similarly attuned that they often showed up on set wearing the same T-shirt.

Of course, money — or the absence of it — can put a crimp in all relationships.

According to Paramount, Singleton began getting multimillion-dollar chunks of payment in the spring and had received 99% of the $9-million fee around the time of the film's release in July. Ironically, for all its hoopla, "Hustle & Flow" only grossed $22 million dollars at the box office, according to Boxofficemojo.com, and it is unlikely that Paramount has yet recouped its outlay for the purchase and marketing of the film.

Still, Singleton is contractually obligated to share his profits from the $9-million sale with the creative team, said Brewer's attorney Mark Litwak. "Paramount did pay the vast majority of the money eight months ago. Craig worked for modest wages, to say the least, and he was promised a very reasonable and customary share of the back end. The issue has been raised repeatedly with John over the last six months, and frankly a lot of people are furious with John. I find it amazing that so much of the goodwill that John had generated by going into his own pocket to get the movie made — a lot of that goodwill has been lost now that he hasn't paid."

Singleton is equally miffed that all these people are shooting their mouths off about an accounting process they know nothing about. (Brewer, for instance, was just another struggling writer-director, while Howard was a knock-about character actor before "Hustle" came along.) Singleton claims that Paramount sent its first $2-million installment in May, and the rest of the money has dribbled out for months. All the while, he said, he's had to foot the bill for additional costs on the movie.

"I took all the financial risk on the film," he added. "We made a collective decision to do a professional mix for the film, and that cost was not covered by Paramount. That was covered by me. They're dealing with me as an individual and not as a studio — I had to act like a studio. I was making sure that no one would get paid until after all the bills would get paid. I always planned to pay everybody by the holidays."

"I don't like somebody saying I'm a shyster. I resent people making comments when everybody's life has been changed from 'Hustle & Flow.' Everyone has a career now."

Litwak, however, said that doesn't mean his client should forego what is owed him. "The fact that Craig has not been paid is not acceptable. This has been repeatedly communicated to John and his attorneys. John said numerous times in the spring that payment was imminent. Then it was everybody was going to get paid by Thanksgiving. Now it's the next holiday coming up."

Allain, who sold her home to have the money to live during the making of "Hustle & Flow," declined to comment.

She and Brewer have a new production deal at Paramount and have been making another film, "Black Snake Moan," which is coincidentally also being produced by Singleton.

"We're great," Singleton insisted. "We just finished another movie that I helped get made. I got that greenlight before 'Hustle & Flow' came out. This is a matter of business."

Said Litwak of his client and Singleton: "They continue to maintain a cordial relationship."

Interview with Shanola Hampton

We recently saw you on WB's "Related." A recurring on a popular new network show is a pretty good gig. Can you tell me about that experience? Has it opened any other doors for you?

Its a wonderful gig! Laura Breckenridge, who I work the most with, is such a wonderful person and we have a great time together. I play a character named 'Flash' who is so much fun. She is an experimental theater student with a sarcastic flare. The show provided some really great exposure and doors for meetings with other networks have opened up.

What else can we see you in?

Well right now I'm just doing "Related," however, with pilot season approaching I hope to change that.

How long have you been in LA? What drove you to come out here and pursue your dreams?

I've been in LA for about 5 years. I came one summer before my last year of graduate school, and worked at a casting office as an intern. The casting office actually brought me in for an audition and I got the job. Prior to that summer my plan was to move to New York, but when I saw how quickly things unfolded, I knew that LA was where I was meant to be.

My family in South Carolina always knew I would move away and pursue my passion for acting. Los Angeles sort of chose me and I couldn't be happier.

So, you've signed on for the role of Sarah in "Suicide Squad." How would you describe this character?

Sarah is a very strong, educated woman. She calls things as she sees them and usually has statistical facts to back up her very strong points. She is on a mission. She loves to get into the minds of the other characters. She loves to push their buttons. Basically she's a bad ass!

You recently met the director, writer, and other members of the cast for the first time. What were your thoughts after meeting your co-stars?

I was so impressed! Glenn is so warm and talented. Neil is awesome, he is very straight to the point, which I love. I know working with him is going to make me a better actor. The cast is just so talented, each role is so perfectly cast. I am very excited about getting started!

Adam's been talking about this role to you for a long time. He's pictured you for this part from the beginning. What can you tell us about Adam and how he convinced you to take on this role (I believe even before you saw the script)?

Well, Adam is truly like family to me, he is like the brother I never had. It didn't take any convincing, I know anything Adam is attached to is going to be fabulous. When he told me he had a part for me I was honored. Then when I read the script I knew I had to play Sarah.

Mixing Business with Art

As I noted in my last post, we've been expending a lot of energy on creating Web traffic in hopes of securing enough attention to raise some additional funds via our fund raising Web site (www.boxofstars.com).

In the midst of all this, I am trying to finalize the 5th and hopefully final draft of the screenplay.

Between locking down contracts, finalizing our accounting set-up, and chasing investors across the country, I've not been putting the amount of time needed into the re-write.

Between our efforts on MySpace, PixelsUSA, Craig's List, eBay, blogger land, and so forth, I've moved away from what got us here in the first place -- the story.

Adam and I have great confidence in the Suicide Squad script. We've got a great story, cast, and director. This confidence is shared by our initial investors and others who've read the script.

But we're still $50,000 short of our fund raising goal. This concern over fund raising has led us to swallow our pride and resort to flat out begging for investment capital. Not something I'm used to doing, and certainly nothing I'm excessively proud of, but I believe strongly in the story, and will do everything in my power to pull this thing off.

But we can't do it without the final script.

So, I'll be taking a break from my non-stop promoting to focus on the writing side of the business for the next few weeks.

With the exception of a few press releases here and there, and some already scheduled media events, I'm going on the down-low to do the behind the scenes creative work that has gotten us this far.

Web Presence

So we (Starbox Pictures) launched our Web presence a little over two weeks ago, and the site is BLOWING UP!!

If you google "Starbox Pictures" you get these results.

As you can see, we're the top 7 hits.

We're also listed on Wikipedia.

That's us at the bottom.

We're also at the top of the list on Yahoo!and all the other major search engines.

We have our first television interview on WREG in Memphis next week, have several upcoming articles in local publications across the country, and on the Web.

But we've still got a long way to go on our fund raising.

So many people have gotten behind us to support this project -- from our friends in the blogosphere to MySpace, Yahoo! Groups, etc.

We're also one of the top ranked sites at pixelsusa.com

We have put together a great cast and crew for the film, and can't wait to get this show on the road.

Notoriety and recognition are one thing, but right now, we need $$$$.

To learn how you can invest, please visit our Web site at www.boxofstars.com or our blog at starboxproductions.blogspot.com.

There, you can buy a star to send your own personal message or promote your Web site, or learn about owner/investor options.

If you have questions, or want more info, please contact me at glenn@boxofstars.com.

Thanks,
Glenn

The Soundtrack

Another quick update ...

Robby Grant of Vending Machine has signed on to score the film!

Check the Web site for sample tracks.

More Press Coverage

Shanola Hampton was recently interviewed by Starry Constellation Magazine.

Shanola's Interview

Weekend Update - Catch TJ ON "EVE" (UPN)

I'll be traveling again this weekend, so this will likely be my last post until next week.

Wanted to let everyone know that Tom "TJ" Jones, who plays Michael in "Suicide Squad," just picked up a recurring role on UPN's Eve.
Check him out.



Sorry about the pic, TJ, but until you send me a better one, this is all I got.

Our First Press Coverage

Our goal was to have one article published about Box of Stars.com per week.

One week after we launched our site, we have our first coverage. (Just under the wire!)

Check out this article at PixelsUSA.

Oh yeah, don't forget to vote for us when you're over there.

VOTE HERE.

You can vote once per hour.

Tell your friends.

Sarah

Shanola Hampton plays the part of Sarah in Suicide Squad.

Interview with Brandon Gibson

While in LA for the table read of the script, I had an opportunity to sit down with the cast members for a Q&A.

Below is the transcript of my interview with Brandon Gibson, who plays Wyatt a.k.a. “Flash” in Suicide Squad.

Brandon has been doing stand-up since he was 14 years old – an no, I don’t mean entertaining Uncle Filbert and Aunt Rita at the family Christmas party. The boy was on stage, under the spotlight, and making much older, much drunker comedy fans laugh on a weekly basis in his hometown of Memphis, Tenn., where he became something of a celebrity at the “Sir-Laffs-A-Lot”comedy club.

When he was 19, Brandon hit the road, touring the country for ten years. In 1999, he moved to Los Angeles, where he’s settled in to steady work with some travel, but not like it was in his years on the road. Married with a little girl now, Brandon likes to stay a little closer to home these days.

2005 has been a very good year for Brandon. Brandon appeared on CBS’s “Fire Me, Please,” co-starred in three feature films, been a series regular on “Totally Busted” (Playboy TV’s version of “Punk’d”), co-starred on the Discovery Channel’s “Guilty or Innocent,” done numerous commercials, and currently has two TV shows in development with networks in addition to continuing his stand-up career.

So you’re busy, right? What you got?
A goiter. Don't make fun.

When did you realize you wanted to become a comedian/actor?
Sounds odd, but in Kindergarten. Good story – as I'm packing my things to move to Los Angeles, I start packing books in boxes. During the packing I come across a book called "My Childhood Diary," a book my mother gave me to keep track of things in my life from Kindergarten to 12th grade. I decided to look through it to see what I was thinking as a kid. In the kindergarten section it had things like: my friends, my teachers, my favorite games, & at the end of the kindergarten section it had a title called "My Wishes". Remember, this was kindergarten. I was 5. After My wishes, I had written, "To move to L.A. and be a famous comedian." I actually wrote that. I was 5. Well, OK. I actually spelled comedian as "comedean,” but I was five. Give me a break. I said I wanted to be a comedian, not a spelling bee champion.

Tell me about your character in this movie ... without spoiling the ending, of course.
I am a brash, boisterous, drunkard redneck who seems to live to push people's buttons. I LOVE IT!!!!

So ... this character obviously has a great deal of comic relief, but he's
responsible for conveying some serious issues. How is drama different
from comedy? Does being good at one prepare you for the other?
The phrase has been said, "Drama is easy, comedy is hard." Well, for me, they're both easy. I'm not saying that to be cocky, but think about it. The best comedy comes from drama. I've had a pretty dramatic life and due to that, comedy has been an EASY escape. Then again, comedy has been my companion since I was 4 or 5 years old. Staying up late, watching SNL when I'm supposed to be in bed, watching the 3 Stooges day in & day out, memorizing every comedy tape I could get my hands on....Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy....It has always made up my soul. It's what I am. From that, my mind has gotten more creative than most, so I feel like I'm able to explore more than the average actor.

This is a very different role -- controversial and obviously very different from your "real-life persona". Why were you willing to accept such an "edgy" part?
I like a challenge. I always have. Roles like this are what set you apart from any other actor. This role will truly show what I am capable of. It's a HEAVY range of emotions & traits. This is the essence of a "Break-out" role. All I can say is.....watch out.

Are you worried about being typecast after this film?
Not at all. There is such a broad range in Wyatt, I know that it will affect anyone who watches the film. I will make the statement in the character. The character will not make the statement for me.

So, your career has obviously been centered around stand-up to this point.
Do you have a preference between stand-up or acting? Why?
Acting. It's more fun to play someone other than yourself. I get bored with me sometimes. It also pays better. I also like seeing myself on TV & in movies. I also like cookies. Gooey chocolate chip cookies....and Krispy Kreme.......good God, I'm hungry.

We’re almost done. Suicide Squad is a very different concept for a movie. Why do you think the world needs to see this movie?
There are too many bad films out nowadays. Remakes, cheesy themes, all around stupid ideas that have a candy coating. This film is raw, unique and the idea is virtually untouched. Hollywood fears raw films, but people LOVE THEM! It's time.

You recently had an opportunity to meet the other actors and the director for the first time. What were your thoughts after meeting them?
They're all aliens. I can't prove it yet, but I will. They yell at me and threaten to "hit me in the back of my face". I mean, where is that?! Does anyone know? I will not help them kill Caesar, no matter what they do to me.

(At this point, we had to take a break from the interview, when Brandon went into a 40-minute tirade where he switched back and forth between quoting Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and the Gettysburg Address peppered with quotes from Facts of Life and BJ & The Bear.)

What is your greatest hope for "Suicide Squad"?
I hope it gives everyone involved in the project the exposure they need so the world can see their talents. There are a lot of talented people involved. I hope it opens the door for all of us to be even more successful and becomes one of those films that people talk about for a long time.

If your friends and family ask you what you're working on during production of this movie, what will you tell them? How would you describe this film?
I would say nothing. It violates my parole.......okay, I'll answer your question Mr. nosy pants!
I'd say it's a very smart, edgy, exiting project that will leave you wanting a sequel.

Wyatt

This is Brandon Gibson. He plays the part of Wyatt in our little production. 

Executive Producers Hard at Work

Having some difficulty transferring images from the DVD of the table read.
I think, however, from this single image, it's quite obvious that we know what we're doing. That's Adam on the right, and I'm the dashing lass in the pretty pink bow.

 

Myspace and STARBOX PICTURES

I feel like a multi-level marketer, but we're on a frantic fundraising campaign right now, so I'm going after every networking opportunity I can.

This weekend, I jumped into the world of myspace in order to spread the word about our film. I am now at www.myspace.com/starboxpictures

I'm also considering selling vital organs at this point.

Let me know if anyone needs a kidney or a big toe or something.

I feel so dirty.

The Table Read - First Entry

Well, we pulled off the table read.

Our cast is great.

Didn't take pictures like I wanted to, but we recorded it. I'll try to grab some stills from the video and post them here.

Meeting with our Director tonight to begin work on the final draft.

The table read revealed several things:

1) The script is really funny, which was definitely an aim, but considering the subject matter, I had no idea how it was going to come off.
2) As a writer, this was the first time I'd heard my words read dramatically out loud. It was nice to hear that these voices in my head for all these months come to life.
3) The characters are great. The dialogue is great. But ...
4) The plot needs work. We've dropped all these people into a very dramatic situation, but the "stakes" aren't what I wanted them to be.

Neil (Director), Adam, and I are going to sit down tonight and start working on that.

The great news is that we have all the "bones." We just need to re-assemble the skeleton.

More later.

Glenn

Uncle McDougal Wants YOU!

Dear Friends of McDougal,

Now that we've officially kicked off our fund raising for Suicide Squad, we need your help.

You don't need to shave your head, march on Washington, send money or anything like that, but if you could put one of these:





My God.
It's full of stars.
In the sidebar on your blog, we'd kindly appreceiate it.

If you'd like to help promote our cause, simply cut and paste the following code into your blogger template:

---

(center)(a href="http://www.boxofstars.com") (img src="http://www.boxofstars.com/trailer/webpromologo.jpg")(br)My God.
It's full of stars.(/center)(/a)

---

* Where ( ) are replaced by "<>". (The Blogger WYSIWYG editor is smarter than I.)

And you know what they say - "Having McDougal owe you a favor is better than having him sneak up behind you and punching you in the stomach."

Box of Stars.com is LIVE!

Starbox pictures (me and Adam) are very excited to announce the beginning of our Internet marketing campaign.

Our Box of Stars Web site is now live.

This press release just went out to all our favorite media outlets ...

Independent Film Producers Selling “Stars”

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1 – From politics to paying off personal debt, fund raisers of all types have taken to the Web in recent years to raise money. Non-profits, political parties, and even bloggers have learned that if you want something, you have to ask for it. And who better to ask than a few million Web surfing strangers?

While many fundraising Web sites give you nothing more than a sincere “thank you” and a printable receipt for your contribution, smart fundraisers are learning that you have to give contributors something of value in return.

Independent filmmakers Adam Hatley and Glenn Hopper think they’ve found something people would be willing to pay for.

“We’re selling stars,” Hatley said.

“That people can put in a box,” added Hopper, who says he came up with the idea recently while “lying on my back in a ditch on a particularly clear night.”

“I was lying there with a blunt force head trauma, and I thought, ‘I’d like to own a piece of that – my own corner of the cosmos. One of those stars. Keep it in a box under my bed.’”

Thusly, BoxofStars.com was born. The Web site, launched Nov. 1, features a screen sized box, which users are filling with stars that they can personalize and use to link back to their own Web sites.

Why a box of stars?

The box of stars is part of a promotional campaign by Starbox Pictures, a small independent film company currently in pre-production on their feature film debut entitled Suicide Squad.

The inspiration for the name Starbox Pictures came from the line “My God. It’s full of stars,” from Arthur C. Clarke’s novel 2001: A Space Odyssey.

“For some reason, that line has always stood out to me,” said Hopper. “It marks the beginning of Dave Bowman’s journey through the cosmos … and seemed a fitting tag line for what we were trying to do with our production company and film.”

Filling an empty box with stars is an excellent way to show the progress of the firm’s fundraising efforts, Hatley said. “The box of stars is like a blank page. As we fill the box, you can see our dream (of producing the film) becoming a reality. It’s like putting words on paper. Each star brings us one step closer,” Hatley said.

Star buyers can customize their stars’ color and size and personalize their stars to point to their Web site, or to send a personal message into cyber space. “It’s a viral marketing tool that we hope will catch on with Internet users, who’ve already shown their interest in similar sites like Million Dollar Homepage,” Hopper said. “Our site, however, is cleaner, and honestly I think it’s a cooler concept,” he added.

Starbox Pictures is pursuing traditional fund raising, but has also started an aggressive Internet campaign with the Box of Stars Web site, a line of merchandise to promote their film and their production company, and a blog that chronicles the filmmakers’ progress on the movie.

Suicide Squad
Written by Glenn Hopper and John Regan, Suicide Squad is the story of six Generation X’ers who met on the Internet, and meet in person for the first time on what was planned to be their last night on Earth.

From the BoxofStars Web site:

For the past four years, they've known each other only by their Internet screen names. But tonight in an abandoned barn a thousand miles from the rest of their lives, a group of social misfits is drawn together on what is to be their last night on earth. Keenly aware of their fast-approaching fate, the group is freed from societal constraints and emboldened to speak the truth. While awaiting the arrival of their mysterious leader and their ultimate demise, the Suicide Squad is forced to explore the beliefs, events, and circumstances that led them here.

Suicide Squad Sneak Peek

Since it's going up on the Box of Stars site when we launch tomorrow, I figured it wouldn't hurt to offer a sneak peak to the few readers over here a day early.

A lot of times people ask me, they say "Friends of McDougal, you keep talking about this movie - What the hell's it about?"

I always tell them,

"Suicide Squad

For the past four years, they've known each other only by their Internet screen names. But tonight in an abandoned barn a thousand miles from the rest of their lives, a group of social misfits is drawn together on what is to be their last night on earth. Keenly aware of their fast-approaching fate, the group is freed from societal constraints and emboldened to speak the truth. While awaiting the arrival of their mysterious leader and their ultimate demise, the Suicide Squad is forced to explore the beliefs, events, and circumstances that led them here.

Suicide Squad is an allegorical tale of the true coming of age of Generation X through crisis and transformation of our base desires, ego, and place in society. It's about facing your end and finding a new beginning."

Then I just laugh and laugh and drink some more gin.