Now that you’ve got your screenplay done, here’s how you promote your film:

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Jeff Bridges talks about the benefits of film, music, and the Dude after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Like any movie writer worth her salt, I have to weigh in on the Oscars. In the spirit of the occasion, I’ll keep my speech short.

Favorite moments: Michelle Pfeiffer, in a fab dress, introducing Best Actor winner Jeff Bridges in charming fashion and commending him for balancing work ethic and family life (a rare Hollywood feat for which he deserves a whole different award). A nice tribute to John Hughes, whose movies narrated our childhoods. Gabourey Sidibe’s tears as Oprah Winfrey described her blooming talent. Sandra Bullock’s beautifully worded and delivered acceptance speech, which combined humor and deep gratitude.

The most striking thing about this Oscars was just how much mature women kicked ass. Mature not so much as in age (though Helen Mirren cloaked herself in a beautiful gown and an air of dignified humility) but in attitude. Early on, I was worried about the tone of the whole broadcast when it seemed all too set on featuring aggravating and talent-short starlets like Kristen Stewart, Miley Cyrus, and Amanda Seyfried, all of whom just looked embarrassing and completely unprepared to be there. And why WERE they there? They have a lot to learn from the likes of Mo’Nique, Meryl Streep, and Kathryn Bigelow, who loaded the ceremony’s second half with plenty of reasons feel hope for the future of women in cinema. (And maybe John Hughes could have taught them how to act like real human teenagers.)

When Barbara Streisand announced Bigelow’s name as the first-ever woman to win Best Director, I could almost hear the screams of joy coming from the Reel Grrls Oscar party (co-hosted by SIFF, NWFF, WIF Seattle & Artist Trust) across town. For the advocates and students at the country’s only year-round filmmaking program exclusively for girls, this must have been an exciting night indeed. It’s the sort of thing that gives all of us hope that we can achieve our dreams someday.

And that means the biggest winner of all, as far as I’m concerned, was the future: a place where many creative visions can come to fruition. Now, back to working on my screenplay…

(Helen Mirren, nominated for her role in "The Last Station." Photo: Sony Pictures Classics)

I was talking to Amber Harmon, who helped me design this blog, about the way our desire for perfection seems to create a lot of wasted work. It reminded me of the Cult of Done Manifesto, written by Bre Pettis and Ko Stark – and it also reminded me that I was telling another friend about the manifesto a while back and meant to send it but didn’t get around to it (an obvious failure to follow said manifesto). I agree with most of it. In principle. Here’s a poster of the manifesto, designed by Joshua Rothaas:

(This is a spelling error, not a grammatical mistake, but you get the idea. Bandon, Oregon. Photo by Christy Karras.)

In honor of National Grammar Day, I bring you some thoughts on one of my favorite subjects.

First, photos of ridiculous grammar gaffes (and other signage errors) from the Huffington Post.

Second, this column from the Chronicle of Higher Education. I like this one not only for its main argument, the “fewer” versus “less than” controversy (although I agree with the columnist on that) but also for its mention of vague or otherwise useless terms that should be banned. In this case, those words are “utilize,” “proactive,” and “lifestyle.” I don’t mind “lifestyle” so much, but I’d like to add my own: “facility,” along with “very” and “somewhat” and a host of other adverbs. Just be specific, people! A “facility” could be a hospital, a baby-food factory, or a weapons armory. Why not just say what you’re talking about?

Feel free to vent about your own peeves. And happy Grammar Day!

Thanks to my friend Craig for this intriguing website. If you’re the sort who thinks about philosophy and morality (and maybe people are so tired of arguing with you that you’ve been driven online in your quest to discuss such matters) this is an entertaining place to start. I took the”Morality Play” quiz and thought it generated a pretty accurate reflection of my current moral code (which is, of course, subject to change).

Click here to go to the morality games section of philosophersnet.com.

(Thee Emergency performing at Chop Suey in a shot from "$5 Cover." MTV photo.)

I went last night to a special screening of “$5 Cover: Seattle,” the MTV project I covered extensively during Sundance. This was the first time we all got to see Lynn Shelton’s 12 short narratives in a row, which is definitely the way to see them. Though each tells its own mini-story, with Seattle’s independent musicians as characters, they all weave together, and sometimes a story that arises in one is resolved in another down the line.

The shorts were great, as were John Jeffcoat’s mini-documentaries about the bands and the even wider-ranging “B-side” docs produced by Sue Corcorane. But the striking thing about the whole event was the over-the-top talent on display. If you’re not checking out the independent music scene in Seattle, well, then, you’re missing out on one of the best things about living here.

I also found it interesting that while Seattle’s all-male bands get a lot of publicity, and rightfully so, the women are just as worthy of note, if not more so. Among the standouts in “$5 Cover: Seattle” (which will hit the network’s website in June): the two-woman powerhouse Thee Satisfaction, garage-pop Tea Cozies, Thee Emergency, whose lead vocalist, Zana “Dita Vox” Geddes, proves she has screen presence and acting chops as well as a voice to die for. Thee Emergency is the last band you hear in this preview for the series:

Click here to see the trailer for “$5 Cover: Seattle.”

(photo: Fishing on the Skagit.)

A lot of folks thought I was crazy when I told them about my Valentine’s Day plans: going fishing on the Skagit River.

For one thing, isn’t Valentine’s Day the one day of the year many people know they WON’T be fishing? It’s not exactly viewed as a romantic couples activity. But that was kind of the point. We wanted to celebrate our love, but we didn’t want to be suckered into fighting for restaurant reservations. We hadn’t fished in Washington yet, and we’d long sought an excuse to hire a guide to teach us spey-rod technique (that means two-handed – the fish here are bigger than the ones we’re used to!).

And we had a wonderful day on the river. Sure, the air and the water were both a brisk 40 degrees. Sure, it rained much of the day and we lost feeling in our feet. And sure, the fish weren’t exactly jumping onto our hooks.

But it’s true that a day on the river is better than pretty much any day anywhere else. We and our guide, Ryan (who fortunately didn’t have a Valentine’s-Day date planned) had the normally busy Skagit pretty much to ourselves. Low-lying clouds shaped like cotton candy skimmed the treetops. We saw bald eagles and a beaver that slapped its tail on the water as we went by. We practiced our casting and a couple times were blessed with the singular feeling that comes with knowing we did it right.

And at the end of the day, as we headed home tired and cold, we knew we’d given and received the best possible present: time.

(photo: Ryan and his dog, Grover)

(Tourists pose in front of an Olympic countdown sign in Vancouver. Photo copyright Christy Karras)

According to 2010 rankings by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Vancouver, BC is the most liveable city in the world. So geographically close to where I sit now, yet so far away in rank from any American city, none of which even made it close to the top of the list. Why? It all comes down to criteria. Americans may be shocked to learn that the UK-based publication doesn’t look highly on America’s lack of universal health care. And American tourists who tightly clutch their purses when they travel abroad might be surprised to learn about America’s higher rates of violent crime than in many other parts of the world.

Canada and Australia have the most cities on the top 10 list. I’ve traveled in both countries and have to say that life there, at least by objective standards, is good. Their citizens are well educated, healthy, and well paid. Much higher minimum wages mean few are poor or hungry. And nobody goes bankrupt because of hospital bills. Imagine that.

America does has some things going for it. After all, crime and uncertainty make life exciting. And I was appalled by the small number of Mac users in Australia. It’s a Microsoft monopoly over there.

The praises heaped on Canada and Australia today remind me of the “Australia vs. Canada” game we used to play in college. It boils down to this question: In a contest between Australia and Canada, which country has exported the most good music per capita? The catch is, you have to subtract points for the crappy acts. So, sadly, Celine Dion’s negatives outweigh the goodness of Diana Krall.

Who wins? It partly depends on how you feel about country music (there’s the Shania Twain juggernaut, though she goes up against the not-insignificant Keith Urban). But ultimately, there’s no question in my mind that Australia comes out way ahead, mostly because Australia has given us fewer big-name acts, and certainly nothing terrible enough to overcome the likes of of AC/DC and INXS (I’m sure those awful bands exist, but they – mercifully – haven’t made it to the States).

Yeah, Canada’s got Neil Young. But it’s hard to forgive Bryan Adams. And sure, everyone loves the Barenaked Ladies, but I just can’t bring myself to vote for a country that inflicted Nickelback on me.

Next time, maybe I’ll add the U.S. into the mix. Lord knows we’ve got some bad music right here.

But I bet we’d beat Canada.

I spent the weekend investigating screenwriting classes (a great idea for anyone with a few hundred – or a few thousand – bucks to drop). So I was incredibly relieved when this arrived in my mail today.

Thanks to Bill Kenower and Author Magazine for the morning-brightener.