What are Your Thoughts on Idris Elba, being ‘a fool at 40’ and Disqus? #acting

I shouldn't have to log out to comment on my own blog!

If this blog was human, it would be a toddler with an entire life ahead of it by now. Although it isn’t human, it still has endured some growing pains -- one of which it has yet to overcome where commenting is concerned. Over the last few months since I moved The Madlab Post to Squarespace, I’ve received email from readers who experienced difficulty commenting on my posts.

Some comments did not show up after they were left while others were not posted at all and the rest sat in this blog’s “moderation” queue (oftentimes, without my knowledge) until I approved it to be displayed. This week, I had a similar experience to some of you who have encountered trouble posting comments on this blog. When I tried to post a comment -- even when logged in to Squarespace, a red message stating “unable to post” kept showing up above my comment.

I found that to be strange, inconvenient and also unacceptable -- I mean, how can one not be able to post a comment on his or her own website/blog?! That is just plain silly. So, I’d like to consider a possible solution -- implementing Disqus on this blog. 

Could Disqus be the answer to our commenting problems with Squarespace?

As many of you may already know, Disqus is a universal commenting system for blogs and websites. It’s kinda like Gravatar, but for comments.

Although lots of people have their own Disqus profiles, you don’t have sign-up for one to leave a comment on a blog -- you can just comment as usual using a Name/URL field or any one of your other online profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc.) that are available.

So, what do YOU think? -- As a reader of this blog, would you welcome Disqus for leaving comments? If not, what are your thoughts on how I can best handle the current commenting hiccups that some of us are encountering with Squarespace?

Also, actor Idris Elba (who stars in the sci-fi movie “Prometheus,” which is now playing in theaters) is featured on the cover of this week’s Jet Magazine. His cover and feature story comes at a fitting time, since he is the June 2012 King Dong for The Madlab Post.

Chellebee, who founded the King Dong series back when this blog was in it's infancy, nominated Idris Elba last month during Jude Law’s reign. According to Chellebee, Elba is FOINE!!! and a multifaceted player in the entertainment industry.

Since I agree that Elba is one hot guy, I picked up a copy of the current Jet Magazine issue to learn more about this “multifaceted” aspect of him that she’s talking about. In the coming weeks, I’ll highlight some of the takeaways from his feature story but for now, I’d like for you all to shed some light on the following Idris Elba quote. This Golden Globe winning actor explains to Jet magazine that although he is not a religious person, he wants to work on his spirituality as he moves forward.

“My Father always told me that a fool at 40 is a fool for life.” - Idris Elba

What does this “a fool at 40 is a fool for life” mean? Does it mean people are set in their ways once they reach 40? Does it mean that 40 year-olds are lost if they don’t know where they stand or if they don’t have spiritual grounding? What exactly defines “a fool at 40?”

So long for being in a Jude Law State of Mind - Case of the Never Ending Screenplay, Part 3 #indiefilm #amwriting

What follows is the third and final installment in a series of Jude Law quotes that I’ve kept in mind while trying to find the right motivations for getting to the final draft stage of a short screenplay that has often been a pain in my rear, for several weeks. The first (Part 1) and second (Part 2) posts containing my script writing notes may be of interest those of you who missed them.

“I don't want to do anything that I'm not passionate about.” - Jude Law

All I could think when reading this is that it applies to so many aspects of life, not just filmmaking. In fact, this particular Jude Law quote reminds me of my blog post about Russian Roulette and how we gamble with our lives in some respects but avoid taking chances at all costs when it comes to other areas of our existence that really matter the most. Bottom line: Put your energy into the activities, objects, subjects, people, places, experiences, etc. that you care about and let the rest move over to the sidelines.

In the case of my script, I suppose I need to hone in on what I’m really trying to say with this particular short story -- what is the message? Why do I care about it? How can I make the characters convey this message? These are the questions that I should really have an answer to before calling “Action!” or else it will turn into another project that I look at and think “Eh! I finished it *Shrugs shoulders* so, what’s next?” -- and I surely don’t want any parts of that.

Since January, I’ve had moments where I felt like I just wanted to shoot the darn thing and get it over with so I could move on to the next project. That is NOT the best kind of motivation that should make anyone do anything, no matter if it involves making films, babysitting someone’s kid, attending a family reunion, buying a house, going to work at a job you hate or whatever the case may be. If we’re already looking for the exit door or closing performance before we enter a room, then maybe that’s a sign that we shouldn’t be there in the first place.

In the case of this short film script that I’m trying not to fling out of the window, the final draft hasn’t even been completed yet and I’ve already started hearing the fat lady sing. So, I’m hoping that this newfound enthusiasm for the third storyline that I’m embarking on remains all the way through the entire screenwriting process. Or else, it may be time for me to just put this thing on the shelf and go forward with the feature film that sparked my paranoia for the habitual film industry dream crusher that is 10-year development. 

Still in a Jude Law State of Mind - Case of The Never Ending Screenplay Part 2 #amwriting #indiefilm

“I only want to do the kind of work that I would like to go and see, that's going to teach me something new, that involves working with people I can learn something from and I can give something to.” - Jude Law

I do believe that actors, directors, screenwriters, composers, etc. should experience some level of growth with each film that they make. So, I agree with Jude Law’s views on working on projects where he’ll learn something new. It’s also worth noting how great it is that he chooses movie roles that he would support himself, as a moviegoer. Like giving rave reviews for a product that I either don’t like or wouldn’t use, writing a script that I wouldn’t want to watch play out on screen defeats the whole purpose of trying to make films that are seen by more people than my parents.

If I’m going to go as far as producing a screenplay, then I might as well write one that I would go check out, if it were written by someone else. I’ve done this often when deciding on whether to support certain charities and figuring out if I should pursue certain documentary subjects -- If the answer is no, it’s because I often thought “I wouldn’t watch this if it was on TV and I wouldn’t care about what the people featured in it had to say, so I’m not making a documentary about....” -- so, the same should apply at the script stage.

Check out Part 3, the final installment in a line of Jude Law quotes that have me thinking about how to approach this short screenplay that I’ve been trying to complete. Or, read Part 1 of my recent script writing notes, if you missed it.

What is the most important aspect of a movie that makes YOU like it or hate it? Is the Plot a factor? Actors? Relational aspects to your life/beliefs/experiences? Production Value? Subject matter (heroes; crime; love; war; underdogs; fantasy; babies, etc.)? or something else?