In The News

Nora Ephron Should Die

gklavans — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:39:09 GMT

How do you tell the woman you love... That you love her? A New short film written by Gary Klavans ~ Directed by Graeme Finlayson

Documentary Director wanted

gklavans — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 18:40:27 GMT

I have a project that is in it's infancy. I am just waiting on the go ahead. It's a documentary about a very popular high school cover band from the 70's that may be getting together for a 30 year reunion. This wasn't your ordinary "Kids in a band" band. They literally toured the entire New england area. Fans traveled from different towns and sometimes states to see them play. Some girls even ran away from home and camped on the drummer's front lawn. Then in 1978, the band broke up and they were never together in the same room again .... Until this year when it was proposed they do a 30 year reunion. One show. I, admittedly do not know about documentary film, but I do believe this is a good story... Primarily because it isn't whether or not these guys were good or are good... They generate an energy that is infectious when they are together... It's a good time and it would be a good documentary.

Psst... You're gonna wanna see this

gklavans — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 21:34:18 GMT

WE MADE THE PAGE!! AND A chance to win $10,000 in the Make A Scene With Mr. Clean Video Contest You can vote EVERY DAY! (Well once everyday) And when you vote... You have a chance to win $5,000 in the View & Rate Sweepstakes. It's now up to you and of course powers beyond our control. Click on the link then click on THE FIFTH STAR!! Tell Mr. Clean you like what you see http://www.mrcleanscenes.com/mrclean/en_US/viewvideo.do?videoid=tNWyuyIM20I On behalf of everyone who participated in the making of this "Commercial" Thanks you. Gary

Psst... You're gonna wanna see this

gklavans — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 21:33:34 GMT

HAPPY CHRISTMAS MERRY CHANUKAH... On Line

gklavans — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 16:33:00 GMT

The funny original play as described by ... BACK STAGE WEST Reviewer T.H. McCulloh "It's one of those holiday parties that could be blessed by good times and love. Or it could explode at any moment... The ending takes Klavans' piece a step up from the usual December fare and gives it a healthy shot in the arm as a holiday offering. " See the complete series at... one.revver.com/account/show/gklavans "Happy Christmas Merry Chanukah was first performed live at the Company Of Angels Theatre Silverlake CA, 2002. This is that performance. http://one.revver.com/account/show/gklavans EPISODE ONE

what is DIAMOND CONFIDENTIAL: A Love Affair with Jazz?

gklavans — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 03:33:42 GMT

STORY Film Noir The Characters are an anachronism: 1940..s characters, living today. The first episode; A LOVE AFFAIR WITH JAZZ is only the beginning of the series entitled DIAMOND CONFIDENTIAL. We follow Mick Diamond, A down and out photographer, as he gets caught up in a web of deceit, murder and greed. Each episode leads to the next as try to unravel the mystery of the suit case solve murder after murder, discover who is framing Mick Diamond and try and bring down a corrupt police Chief who..s hobbies are vice and narcotics. When put together they will tell the whole story of DIAMOND CONFIDENTIAL. THE FILM "DIAMOND CONFIDENTIAL: A Love Affair With Jazz" began long before the script was written. Writer Gary Klavans' obsession with film noir and the quintessential jaded detective, Sam Spade was a seed planted long ago. Come April 2006, Klavans was looking for his next project RHAPSODY was finished and on its way to festivals. He was shopping a feature script and making the rounds auditioning. Then came the discovery of radio station KJAZZ. "I turned it on one day and haven't touched the dial since." ....I think like all guys, I fancied myself playing the "Bogey" Sam Spade type. Not just the controlled cool, it was the language, the quick repartee and rapier wit of the hard boiled detective that attracted me. But it was a conversation with an old college friend that sparked the story. When Klavans had told her that he found this great Jazz station she asked, "What kind of jazz do you like?" His reply "The kind you hear in a bar that when you walk in, there she is, sitting at the far end. A dark haired, dark eyed beauty, her legs crossed, her shoe dangling off her foot like she was fishing. She barely smiled and even if she did it would be a sad smile, the kind that says "Come and Go" at the same time" ..There was a brief silence. The idea was born and the script was written the next day...Mick Diamond, "Diamond Confidential" was born. A sleazy photographer who takes "Dirty pictures of dirty people, doing dirty things." A man who can be bought for a buck or a bottle is recruited by the Femme Fatale, Jasmine O'Shea to retrieve a suit case. The contents a mystery. The reward for recovery is high. Weasel, a bottom feeder and possibly the only friend Mick has, overhears the conversation and decides to beat Mick to the punch, or did he know more already. Weasel's actions buy him a bullet in the back, but not before he gets the one thing everyone is seeking. Mick discovers Weasel in the alley. With his dying breath, Weasel hands Mick a key, but doesn't tell him what it..s for. Mick returns to his one room flat and discovers Jasmine has been waiting for him. A few hours later Jasmine's goon, Guth, appears with the suitcase only to have been trailed by the police.....Guth, in attempt to disarm the police is subdued and taken away. Detective McCleary produces a photograph of Jasmine holding a gun over Weasel's body. Mick, feeling betrayed, opens the sought after suitcase to discover it is empty.....McCleary takes Jasmine away leaving Mick with too many questions. Did Jasmine shoot Weasel and why? Who is Guth and how does he fit in? More so, what was in the suitcase, where is it now and why do people want it?....Stay tuned for more... DIAMOND CONFIDENTIAL

No Purchase Necessary

gklavans — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 17:19:05 GMT

Some of you may read this and ask "Why?" I post this and ask "Why not?" As many of you know, I have posted a Trailer to the short film //www.revver.com/video/20833/8184 RHAPSODY and the Music video www.revver.com/video/18702/8184 Somewhere to Run on my site. I have also posted a link to www.cafepress.com/stillofthenight to buy t-shits, clocks, mugs and other paraphernalia relating to the feature film www.Still Of The Night.com All the money made on the sale of those items goes to help defer the out of pocket expenses incurred from trying to produce the film, so to those of you who purchased I say a resounding THANK YOU! Now to the point of this splash message ~ Apparently every time you watch the www.revver.com/video/20833/8184 RHAPSODY:Trailer or www.revver.com/video/18702/8184 The Somewhere to Run video and click on the ad on the end, I get twelve cents. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY! No Ginsu Knives, no automatic carrot slicer, no handy vac, no Sounds of the 70's CD's. No warnings that these videos may cause temporary blindness, liver or kidney disease. These videos do not interact poorly with any medications you may be taking, and if you are now or planning on becoming pregnant... CONGRATULATIONS, these videos do not interfere with any normal bodily functions what so ever. So help out a friend, brother, lover or however you perceive me, and click on an ad... give me twelve cents. Your efforts will go a long way to paying the taxes at the .99 cent store.

RHAPSODY

gklavans — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 00:42:01 GMT

This film has surpassed my expectations. An example of perseverance in the face of adversity, not the film but the journey it took to make this short. Where others were willing to walk away I wasn't. I saw the potential and needed to bring it to fruition. With the undeniable expertise of Alex Studer and the added sound by Regan and of course the very talented, Marie Roux... Rhapsody will not only be completed, but the film is festival worthy. Stop by my home page, see the trailer and keep an eye out for the film.

Videos on Tribe

gklavans — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 18:14:15 GMT

This is wicked cool! I am so excited I'm colloquial! I have THREE Videos posted into my home page now... and the fun just keeps coming! Seriously it's a huge plus. Stop my home page eat some popcorn and watch a video or two. It's that simple

BULLSEYE

gklavans — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 20:48:32 GMT

http://revver.com/video/17251/8184 BULLSEYE. The story ory of one man's redemption. DIR: Amin Mataqa, PROD: Seunghye Jung, WRITER: Matt Vancil, DP: Will Beckly Starring: Gary Klavans, Velvet Rhodes, Andrew Ross Wynn, Charlie De La Pana, Elliott Newman, Lauren Fleischmann & Paul Bond

A Love Affair with Jazz

gklavans — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 18:02:44 GMT

It all began one rainy night, I turned on K-Jazz radio... Or should I say... ~"The rain was coming down like a jilted lover. I knew it was gonna be a hard night, so I put on some soft music and continue to drive."~ That was the beginning. I wrote my first Film Noir piece. A short entitled "A love affair with Jazz" What's really exciting is, I should be shooting it the first week of next month. I spoke with a DP and a Director, both who are interested. I should be casting my Femme Fatale on the 18th. Stay tuned, I think you're gonna like this one.

quit v 1 vti to give up, leave, or resign

gklavans — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 04:26:25 GMT

The chill in the air was felt through the over sized coats. In back, a man does a once over of his Zamboni. Family by family, friends and lover all leaving the rink. It was late and everyone wanted to leave. THUMP. The sound a six year old makes as his ass hits the ice. Thump! Again and again. RIsing and falling, rising and falling, an inspirational display of determination. "I'm not leaving until I make it once around the rink without falling down". As the story goes; I stood up, stuck out my chin and eventually made it around that rink. At least that was how my mom and dad would tell it and always at a time when I needed to hear it. My parent's aren't here. I got in my car, mad at the world, I drove to get something to eat. I thought something I rarely do... "I quit". As I was thinking this, I became aware of how rare it is for me to think that. I don't quit, it's better to come in last then never come in at all. Hungry, and pensive I marched into the restaurant. Still pondering this idea of "quit". What does it mean? What are the repercussions? I know so many people who have. If I did, what else would I do? Where would I go? Would I always be wondering "What if I didn't?" Do they? Those that quit. I ordered. A Tuna croissant sandwich and a chocolate croissant for dessert. Feeling awfully French I went to the register to pay. I stood on the other side of a counter. The girl at the register looked at me. She smiled and stammered for a beat, then said... "You look like someone famous" I smiled back. Curious, I asked "who?". She inhaled a bit, smiled and blushed, "Just someone". I handed her my money. Looking down, she asked "Are you famous?" I smiled back, took my change, handed her a tip and replied "Obviously not famous enough". She giggled, I smiled, she blushed, I turned and walked away. Hhmm It wasn't the inspirational story of overcoming awkwardness, poor coordination and the attempt to smoothly glide across polished frozen water on millimeters of sharpened metal... But it was something, and it did make me think of that wintery day with my family and unencumbered determination of youth... and every time my parents reminded me of what a little tenacity can do. So for those waiting for me to quit so you can take my place.... You got a long wait, I'm not going anywhere until I make my way around the rink. Thank you Mom & Dad

CHEAP SHAMELES PLUG

gklavans — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 19:30:44 GMT

Visit http://www.quaproductions.com/ Click on BULLSEYE to see my latest work Visit http://gjsk.multiply.com/video/item/3 To see my reel Visit STILL OF THE NIGHT: The Store http://www.cafepress.com/stillofthenight to purchase and help support independent film

BULLSEYE

gklavans — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:11:13 GMT

For some of you who may have been wondering where I had been for the last week... Well aside from my main project http://stillofthenight.com/ I was starring in a little action flick entitled "BULLSEYE". It was an AFI project and I had a great time. I like working the AFI films and find they are a great way to network with up and coming filmmakers. Many are very talented. This time around I was fortunate enough to work with a great crew and really good director Amin Matalqa (If you're so inclined you should look up his work) The film we shot will be screening at AFI, in the Library building on Friday February 24th at 9:30 PM. Although I don't expect the lot of you who are reading this, to drop what your planning and come see this film, I encourage you to do so. The work was spot on and from what I hear something to be proud of. Aside from that, I also Auditioned for Graeme Clifford (IMDb him, I had to as well) Some of you old schoolers may know that he was the editor and sound editor of Rocky Horror, He has since directed many features and TV shows. Well When I arrived at the audition, they were running late and there was a group of people standing outside the office who had claim on the room, for the same block of time... I was the last auditioner and there was a lot of undue pressure ... I went in did my job and left feeling like the universe had thrown me a curve and I struck out, only to receive a call the next day... I got the part. Who knew? I thought I blew it. They obviously like what they saw... I'm not complaining. I am actually really happy, I will be working with this man and who knows where this may lead... In the meantime, My fortune cookie said "Good news comes from afar" and the next day I got one that said "Stop worrying and take a chance" I may be eating too much Chinese food... But hey...That's life.

The Journey begins

gklavans — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 17:10:24 GMT

http://stillofthenight.com/ The distant beat of a rave pounds through the empty streets. If you listen carefully you can almost follow it through the dark alleyways to a hidden empty warehouse, tucked away from patrolling eyes, keeping the secrets of misspent youth and experimental drugs. "OPEN" The illuminating light of the neon sign guides the night life like small ships in a foggy night. He looks across a dirty street and sees her. She's waiting for something, someone. She doesn't know it's him. Somehow he knows she's what he's been looking for, maybe too late. He clutches the cold metal of the .38 wrapped in a plain brown paper bag. He laughs to himself "How cliche". A patrol car cuts through darkness and everything changes. The other side of the street is now empty, her image a memory, a fantasy or now Coop's odyssey. He has a new quest.

Perspective

gklavans — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 01:00:52 GMT

Last night I put a photo shoot together for "http://stillofthenight.com/" somewhere during the evening I lost a Nikon coolpix 3200 digital camera, and as I do best I obsessed over the loss. Searching every place I was with no camera to be found, I became angry. As the night ended, I received a phone message that someone I knew, their father had passed away. I acknowledged the loss, but still obsessed over mine and got in my car to drive home... In the morning I sent this email to a friend detailing the rest of my evening... Last night, on my way home... While I was obsessing over the camera I was driving down the freeway (101 North) I was moving up along side another car when I happen to look in my rear view, we were both going at approximately the same speed (Around 80 miles an hour) I was about to pass the car when in the rear view another car appears from no where. A Brief blast of a siren and a flash of lights and I thought "Shit! I'm being pulled over" I was clearly going faster than the car next to me, I swerved from two lanes to the right hand lane slowed to about fifty and looked and saw the police car on the ass of the other car and pulling them over. I accelerate to 60 and maintained all the way home with a lump in my chest. 101 to 170 I tale the Magnolia exit. There is a cop doing a U-Turn on Magnolia, I allow them in front of me. At the park to my left a K-9 unit is parked and the back doors are open... I live two blocks away. I drive through the first intersection take the first right next left. I make the decision to park in the street it's late on a weekday and pulling into my apartment will wake the neighbors, My apartment is in the middle of the block, I pass it to the intersection to do a U-Turn, A car pulls up behind me I pull over to let it pass, It doesn't so I pull over further to let it go around me so I can U-turn. I look back to see what the problem is. BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT IN MY EYES and police lights. I was a 1/2 a block away from my apartment I could have pulled into the driveway but NO I had to be nice and now I have a cop "pulling me over?!" Apparently the cop said I "rolled through a stop sign"... (Female cop) She takes my license to run it... A male cop comes back with it within minutes, I said "I lost my camera, My friends father passed away tonight I live right over there, raise your head, you're looking at my apartment, it's 1:30 in the AM in a residential neighborhood with no traffic and you want to give me a ticket for "Rolling" a stop sign?" He said "No, here. Thank you for your cooperation. Go home." Two close encounters with the police in one night... I'm doing something wrong or right, I'm on someone's radar and I don't want to go outside. His reply... Holy frigging sheit. You my friend are blessed in more ways than you are willing to consider last night was just a reminder when you most needed it.

Something to think about

gklavans — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 22:01:40 GMT

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." ~ Benjamin Franklin

STILL OF THE NIGHT: The secret to happiness

gklavans — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 18:35:05 GMT

COOKIE to DETECTIVE McCLEARY :COOKIE: Do you know what the secret to happiness is? :DETECTIVE McCLEARY: Jelly fill and a warm cup of coffee. :COOKIE: Comfortable shoes

"STILL OF THE NIGHT": QUISP, a middle-aged black man, homeless, weathered by abuse, drugs and the elements.

gklavans — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 22:26:27 GMT

QUISP I stood at the top of a mountain. The sun painted my face. A layer of snow at my feet. The wind whispered in my ear "I Love you", and I just smiled and walked away. I stood on the bank of a pond. The fresh scent of Autumn filled my heart. The water, still as a sheet of glass covering an overgrown field. The wind whispered in my ear "I love you". And I just smiled and walked away. I stood in an open field, caressed by the swaying grass. Crickets filled the silence with a violin staccato. While the wind whispered in my ear-- "I love you," and I just smiled and walked away. In her eyes I felt the warmth of the sun. In her hair the scent of fall. In her voice I heard the wind whisper. I love you. I turned and walked away. The wind no longer whispers. http://stillofthenight.com/

Somewhere To Run

gklavans — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 21:42:28 GMT

A dead body was found in an alley. The police have come and gone. It seems like another ordinary night on Skid Row. The streets are cold, unsafe and now stalked by the presence of the belligerent and jaded Detective McCleary Coop's birthday. He shows up at a sleazy motel, apparently to party with his best friend Nick and two chicks, They're nice enough but no one's type past a one night stand. Coop trade's beer and cigarettes for something in a plain brown paper bag before sneaking out. For Quisp it's business as usual reciting poetry and prose for pennies to feed his habit. Dodger steals into the night, fast fingers and a song are his only way to survive between a drink and a fix. April, Tiffany and Cherry deliver a piece of their soul, dying a little more with each John they bring to their room. Cookie's doors remain open for the helpless, homeless and lost. Whether you're stopping in for a cup of coffee after a long night of partying or you just need... Somewhere to run.

Still Of The Night

gklavans — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 18:10:04 GMT

Well it's just before the new year and casting for "Still of The Night" is complete. You can see our cast at http://stillofthenight.com/ click on "character" We will be bringing this talented group of actors together for the first time on January 2nd for a table read of the full script. Principle photography is scheduled to begin on January 16th.

Hope For Love

gklavans — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 15:23:58 GMT

Best friends, Tom Hope and Jeff Crosby try to stay one step ahead of the mob, chasing love…' until it catches them. Tom Hope and Jeff Crosby narrowly escape “creditors” only this time it cost Tom and Jeff more than just the money they owed, It cost Jeff his partnership with Tom and cost Tom his fianc?, Nicole. One year later, the unlucky at love, Tom Hope is now betrothed to socialite Samantha Watt. Nicole, still in love with Tom and not willing to let go after all she “invested in making him the marrying man”, returns to reclaim her “Property”. Jeff also discovers Tom’s plans and returns to claim his spot as Tom’s Best man. Upon arrival, Jeff is grabbed by Marty and Lew, two henchmen of Rocco Costello’s, a long time “acquaintance” and gangster, to which Jeff and Tom owe a large sum of money. Jeff tries to convince Rocco to let him alone long enough to play best man for Tom’s wedding, Rocco turns his back to have Jeff thrown out a window. In order to save his neck, Jeff spins a deal to sweeten the debt with a double or nothing wager that Tom will be married by the end of the weekend. When Rocco spies Samantha, catching Tom, kissing Nicole in a phone booth, he draws up the papers; confident he just doubled his money. The wedding is off, the chase is on. Samantha runs to San Francisco, Tom and Jeff chase after Samantha, Nicole Chases Tom, Marty and Lew chase after Jeff and the laughs keep coming.

AUTUMN'S END

gklavans — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 15:17:23 GMT

The spiny fingers of bare branches stretch out over the streets of a small New England town. The crisp air warns of autumn's end. The residents are gathered for the annual town harvest fair and chili cook off. A surprise return entry, Debbie Stelson has defied town standards and entered the family recipe after being banned for over twenty years when Grandma Stelson (named "Mackin Nanny, the cannibal Granny") reportedly killed her husband and fed him to the town. Now Grandma Stelson has passed away, her “haunted” home vacant. After Debbie's minimal success at the fair, she and her boyfriend, Tim O’Patrick, best friend Jill Bandoff, and Tim’s buddy, Skip Calvin, head out for a weekend to clean and prepare Grandma’s house to be sold. It’s an unsupervised two days for lovers, Debbie and Tim, and Skip's opportunity with Jill, the girl of his dreams. But when they encounter Jill's ex boyfriend, Danny Cahill, the dream quickly becomes trouble. Drinking, partying and speeding along the winding back roads under the darkening sky, Danny approaches an intersection. Spying another car also coming up on the intersection, Danny decides to play “Chicken.” A near miss disaster puts a temporary halt on the partying, everyone just glad to be alive! We also meet a young married couple. They purchase a wonderful old house at the edge of the lake. Is this Mackin Nanny and her husband as a young couple? The teens arrive at the house. Spooky night, wind chimes ring, things shake and scrape against the windows. The house is so cold. The next morning everyone wants to leave, but the car won’t start and the sky is getting gray. When Skip disappears, no one can be trusted. This "dream weekend" is quickly becoming a nightmare. The haunting of past, present and future generations under the roof of an old house and few will survive “Autumn’s End.”

Summer Winds

gklavans — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 15:01:23 GMT

A group of friends gather every year for their traditional 4th of July. This year they are joined by a new girl who is anything but traditional. It's the beginning of the annual 4th of July celebration on Cape Cod for Skip and his long time friends. Only this year Skip Nichols confronts the end of his tumultuous relationship with Elizabeth Cohn when he discovers her with another man. Despondent, dejected and lost, things take an unexpected turn when he accidentally meets the intriguing Summer Hill. On an impulse, Skip asks Summer to join him and his friends for the weekend. They arrive at the house by the shore where Summer meets Buzz and Karen Pennie, a couple of rock and rollers with an honest love for one another; Jerry Canter and Tina Hanover, whose inability to communicate only serves to fuel their passion; and David Bryant, a weekend warrior and the plague of society, the "...terminally single guy." They're all surprised to meet Summer, and more surprised to discover she is a naturalist with a wild spirit and infectious personality. As the weekend unfolds, Summer introduces the gang to nude beaches, a revealing game of Truth or Dare and Provincetown's fetish scene. When Elizabeth shows up at the beach house, everyone comes face to face with their own wants and desires. Turning the upside down weekend inside out. This may be the group's last 4th of July together. This is the summer the friends must all face themselves, a change in tradition, a change in their life. This fast-paced comedy about love and friendship is seasoned with contagious wit and heart warming moments. A sideways look at relationships and alternative lifestyles. If you’re fond of sand dunes and salty air, you’re sure to fall in love with “Summer Winds”.

Still of The Night

gklavans — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 14:43:57 GMT

2 AM A stranger appears Gunfire echoes in the empty street A neon light crackles to life... "Open" Cookie’s diner: A pitstop for ravers. A haven for prostitutes addicts the homeless and hopeless. A safe place for Tiffany, a prostitute, Cherry, the new girl learning the “tricks” and Boy Toy, a pre-op transsexual. A base of operation for Latigo, the pimp and dealer who hails himself as king of this one city block. The only port in the storm of life for Icky a functional autistic with a photographic memory. The closest place to a home for April whose only chance to survive is the street Outside, claiming a small piece of the corner is Quisp, a homeless poet being eaten alive by his own addiction and Dodger the entertainer rappin’ and dancin’ for a buck, a bite or a fix, Ryan, a regular at Cookie’s, is a teacher with a secret, who ventures down to the sewage of the forgotten, photographing the forlorn trying to teach them to read. Each one looking for something to give their life meaning. A dark vivid portrayal of what happens when all hope is lost STILL OF THE NIGHT