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Fontana cannot
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Thank you
7 February 09
WGAE
taps Albers, Fontana for Jablow nod
Former
WGA East leaders Chris Albers and Tom Fontana have been chosen to
receive the Richard B. Jablow Award for devoted service to the guild.
Albers served as president and Fontana as vp of the WGAE from 2005-07.
Screenwriter Tom Fontana
By Martin B., New City, NY and Meg B., New York, NY
"I always start with
characters
because I think strong characters are really what people want to see.
Plots we all kind of know. We can guess how the story’s going
to
go most of the time, but I think really interesting characters are what
keeps us coming back [to a TV show] week after week."
When Tom Fontana was
among several Western New Yorkers working as a
writer in Hollywood in the 1980s, he often experienced a foolish
assumption about his hometown. “I was told there has to be a
Buffalo
[writers] Mafia,” he recalled recently. “You all
must help each other.”
At the time, Western New Yorkers Anthony Yerkovich (“Miami
Vice”),
David Milch (“Hill Street Blues”), Patrick Hasburgh
(“21 Jump Street”)
and Diane English (“Murphy Brown”) were involved in
some of TV’s best
shows. “We were all together,” recalled Fontana,
“and we were like,
‘Gee, none of us did help us get where we were. So maybe we
should
start, at least communicating with each other.’ The mythology
of us
helping each other existed before any of us actually helped each
other.”
Tom Fontana has
asked me to let you know that his mom, Marie,
died on
Christmas Day, at the age of eighty-six.
Her death, though sudden, was peaceful. She was with Tom's
sister,
Charlene. Tom had spoken to his mom about an hour before.
12 December 07
Whoopi Goldberg
and Tom Fontana
Despite
the
sleet, nearly 300 picketers showed up today for a demonstration at ABC
Daytime in Manhattan. Notables included Pete Hamill, Dana Delaney, Nora
Ephron, Seth Meyers, Ilene Kristen, Peter Parnell, Clyde Phillips,
Andrew Bergman, Walter Bernstein, Tom Straw, Tom Fontana and Warren
Leight.
3 December 07
Links to news and
information about the WGA strike.
...
the chemistry between the two actors onscreen was such that I went,
‘Well wait a minute, there's more here and it's much more
interesting
than anything that I would have conceived of.'
"Buffalo is all
about its people. The people of Buffalo have led to the
development of characters in my work and the stories I like to tell.
When I was a young boy in Buffalo, my father was a beer and wine
salesman and one of his stops was the Anchor Bar. He actually knew the
founders of the home of the original Buffalo chicken wings - Frank and
Teressa Bellissimo. I love the place. It evokes a sense of old-time
Buffalo. I also remember my father taking me to Buffalo's waterfront to
the West Side Rowing Club. He was an oarsman and coach of kids from all
over the city and all ethnic backgrounds. That sport and those kids
portrayed nobleness, sportsmanship and fortitude - something that's
true today of Buffalo. Just like those kids, Buffalo has spirit and
fire. It's a great place to visit - especially the waterfront - on a
summer or fall excursion. Or take a walk around the streets of the West
Side - West Ferry, Lincoln Parkway and Elmwood - where you'll find
great bars, restaurants and shops as well as amazing residential areas.
Buffalo is the true heart of America. Here, you'll find what's great
about our country."
-2
Chez
Jean-
Cabaret performances- Wednesday,
December 6th @Laurie
Beechman Theatre in the West
Bank Cafe
407 W. 42nd St- just west of
9th Avenue, New York City 6:30pm show:Chez
JeanChristmas
Family
Style
Adults:$10 cover
+ $15
food and drink minimum
Children:under
10 yrs $5 cover , no food or drink minimum
9:00pm show:Chez
JeanSassyChristmas
$15
cover+ $15
food and drink minimum
Reservations
Today 212.695.6909
Stocking
With
Care
grants the gift wishes of
children while preserving the dignity of their parents
or caregivers, and,
works with various agencies that serve families in crisis.
And
now the fun part - building Wright's boathouse
The
groundbreaking follows a series of
complicated land deals to secure the site, a five-year fundraising
campaign backed by television producer Tom Fontana that drew
contributions from many film and TV stars, and the receipt of a $1
million state grant.
Lansbury
Returns to Bway for 11/5 'Dorothy Parker' Benefit
Four-time
Tony
Award winner Angela
Lansbury makes a return to the Broadway stage heading the
cast of This
is on Me, An Evening of Dorothy Parker,
a
staged reading adapted by Tom Fontana to
benefit The Acting Company on Sunday, November 5, 7pm at the Gerald
Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 West 45th
Street.
By Staff --
Broadcasting &
Cable, 4/2/2006 11:10:00 PM
The American Family Association has declared victory. Again.
This time the decency crusaders are taking credit for The
WB’s decision
last month to cut potentially indecent scenes from its new sexy-ed
show, The Bedford Diaries.
The AFA has never been shy about trumpeting its successes, however
dubious (the Desperate Housewives boycott was just adorable). But its
latest campaign surely set a record for speediest results.
Or did it?
Less than a day after the AFA urged supporters to e-mail The WB and
threaten to file FCC complaints, the network said that it had edited
the premiere episode, citing the recent FCC rulings.
On March 24, the day after the network’s decision was
reported in The
New York Times, AFA chairman Donald Wildmon gloated in an e-mail to
supporters: “There is no question that your personal
involvement
resulted in The WB’s announcing their decision to edit the
most illicit
scenes from the show.”
We know things move fast on the Web, but really? A day?
“We do feel like our efforts did have an impact on their
decision,”
says Randy Sharp, AFA’s amiable director of special projects.
Sharp
believes the e-mails, combined with the recent FCC rulings, did the
trick.
“If you get 25,000 e-mails [27,290, to be exact] from viewers
saying,
'I’m going to file an FCC complaint if you broadcast
indecency,’” he
says, “it doesn’t take but about two minutes to
say, 'We’re going to
cut some of this stuff out to make sure we’re
safe.’”
Perhaps. The WB declined to comment, but series creator Tom Fontana
told B&C that the network made the cuts on March
17—five days
before the AFA’s call to arms.
But these are mere technicalities, as long as those AFA supporters keep
clicking on the link that says, “Show your financial
support.”
4 April 06
Airing against
American Idol on
FOX and Lost on ABC, the debut of The Bedford Diaries at 9:00pm
delivered well above The WB’s Wednesday 9-10pm time period
season-to-date average in the key young female demos targeted by the
program. The premiere of the college-based series improved
over
the season time period average by +27% in women 18-34 (1.9/5) and built
by +19% in females 12-34 (1.9/5). The show was also up over
the
time period season average in adults 18-34 (1.3/4, up +18%) and women
18-49 (1.3/3, up +8%).
The debut of Bedford Diaries averaged 2.0 million total viewers and
also achieved growth over the parallel time period a year ago in
females 12-34 (up +73%), women 18-34 (up +73%), women 18-49 (up +8%),
and female teens (up +60%). The new series ranked #3 in the
hour
among female teens, beating CBS, NBC, and UPN.
23 March 06
WB
Censors Its Own Drama
for Fear of F.C.C. Fines
By
BILL CARTER
Concerned about the recent decision by the Federal Communications
Commission to fine television networks for material deemed indecent,
the WB network will broadcast a new drama next week that it has
censored over the objections of the program's creator.
But first, the network will offer the uncut version of the pilot
episode on its Web site, starting today — a further example
of the new
strategies network television may be pursuing, both to escape
government-imposed restrictions and to find alternative ways of
reaching viewers. It is the first time a network has offered on another
outlet an uncut version of a program it has been forced to censor.
The show, "The Bedford
Diaries,"
was created by Tom Fontana, whose long résumé
includes
award-winning shows like "St. Elsewhere" and "Homicide" for network
television and the far more graphic prison drama "Oz" for HBO, a
pay-cable channel with no content restrictions.
The pilot episode of "The
Bedford
Diaries," which concerns a group of college students
attending a
class on human sexuality, had already been accepted by WB's standards
department. After the F.C.C. decision last week to issue millions of
dollars in fines against broadcast stations, the network's chairman,
Garth Ancier, contacted Mr. Fontana and asked him to edit a number of
specific scenes out of the show, including one that depicted two girls
in a bar kissing on a dare and another of a girl unbuttoning her jeans.
"I said no," Mr. Fontana said in an interview Wednesday. "I told him I
found the ruling incomprehensible. He said the censor would do the
edit."
The decision, several network executives said yesterday, could
represent a further step in the spread of alternative means for
television programs to reach viewers, including iPods and computers. It
could also increase the risk that network television will be seen as
passé by some of its audience, especially younger viewers.
"The message here is that they'll be forced to go alternative ways of
looking at shows if they want to see the real thing," Mr. Fontana said.
"It's like they're telling people that broadcast television now has
much less interesting stuff than you see on the Web or cable."
We may not
have a
network, but at least we've got a premiere date!
The Bedford Diaries
will air on
March 29th on the WB (while
there still is a WB.) That is channel 11 in New
York.
We'll
finish on May 10th with a very special 2 hour Bedford Diaries
(episodes 7 & 8).
The
new
CW network (combining The WB and UPN) will announce its first season a
few days after our season completes. Keep your fingers
crossed
that their announcement includes us.
Tom
says
he's had shows cancelled, studios cancelled, but this is the first time
he's ever had a network cancelled.
Never
dull here at Levinson/Fontana.
Irene
Burns Supervising
Producer The
Bedford Diaries
20 December 05
An Interview With
Writer/Producer Tom
Fontana
Author:Steven Priggé
scr(i)pt:Tell me about
your new show The
Bedford Diaries?
Tom Fontana: It’s
centered on a sexual
behavior seminar at a small liberal arts college in Manhattan. There
are 12 students in the seminar. Some are freshman, some are seniors,
some are virgins, and some are not. The course is taught by Professor
Macklin, played by Matthew Modine, and the character is a kind of loose
cannon on campus. He’s always doing things in the classroom
to
stimulate discussion. He’s also doing things on the campus to
make
people question their thoughts about sexuality or the human condition.
Audra McDonald plays another professor who is the head of the ethics
committee. Her character and Professor Macklin are always going toe to
toe. Peter Gerety, who was on Homicide, plays the
Dean of
Students and is in the unenviable position of being basically blamed
for everything that goes wrong on every level at the school. The show
focuses on a couple of the students in the seminar.
"Oz"
creator Tom Fontana
and Spamalot's Hank Azaria will emcee the
Williamstown Theatre
Festival's Blythe's Spirit, an evening honoring
Tony Award
winner Blythe Danner.
We have had many inquiries about the release
date
for
the DVD of OZ season 6. The word from HBO is that it has been
delayed
until the first quarter of 2006. We do not know the reason for the
delay
and have not been given any specific date. As soon as we have
more
information about the release date we will post it here.
13 September 05
Angela Lansbury
photo
by Aubrey Reuben
...a
staged reading of This Is On Me: An Evening of Dorothy Parker,
which was adapted by Tom Fontana. The company will include Angela
Lansbury, Victor Garber, Frances Conroy, Lisa Banes and Harriet Harris.
Next week "Created By . . . Inside the Minds
of
TV's
Top Show Creators" hits bookshelves. Author is Steven Prigge...
Tom Fontana, creator of
"Oz": "My best
advice
was from Bruce Paltrow, who said, 'Don't believe them when they tell
you
you're wonderful because then you'll have to believe them when they
tell
you that you suck. And they will tell you that you suck.' "
19 July 05 "OZ"
TOM CREATOR FONTANA WRITES
"BATMAN: HOPELESSNESS & FAITH"
by
Jonah Weiland
ON JUNE 28TH, A&E
HOME VIDEO WILL
RELEASE THE ARRESTING FINAL BOXED SET OF THE EMMY®
AWARD-WINNING
COP SERIES
HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET:
THE COMPLETE SEASON 7
Hailed as the Best Cop Drama
of All Time,
The Final Gripping Season Set Finishes off the Franchise with a Bang,
With an Exclusive “Live” DVD Commentary Session
Featuring Barry
Levison, Tom Fontana, David Simon and Jim Yoshimura.
6
June 05
"The Bedford Diaries"
Two shots from the WB upfront
party
Tom with Victoria Cartagena
Tom with Stephen Collins and Ivan Fonseca
25
May 05
"The WB has picked up 12 episodes of the Tom Fontana-produced series
"The Bedford Diaries" to be aired mid-season."
24
May 05
Acclaimed film director Sidney Lumet joins forces
with
Emmy-winning Oz creator Tom Fontana to explore the precarious status of
individual liberties post-9/11 through two parallel stories -- each
containing identical dialogues -- taking place on two continents half a
world away.
On April 28, 2005, Tom
Fontana received,
alongside David Chase, a special Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers
of America. David Simon wrote the
following remarks in
the souvenir program:
SPECIAL EDGAR
Tom Fontana
By David Simon
As a preamble of sorts, consider for a moment the unlikelihood of
actually writing the pilot of a new television drama, then showing it
to network executives. Imagine taking all their notes,
placating
all of their fears, assuring them that the serial will be neither weak
and derivative nor so original and idiosyncratic that it will do
anything other
than appeal to a mass audience.
Then consider the improbability of having that pilot get the green
light, of it somehow being properly cast and directed, of the sum of
its parts adding up to something meaningful and worthy.
Multiply
all of these long-shot variables by ten and you can imagine having that
pilot picked up for a season of episodes. Multiply them by
about
a hundred and you can imagine a network actually airing those episodes
in order
and then renewing the enterprise for three or four more seasons.
Writing for television is, at all points, a Homeric
enterprise.
To produce a St. Elsewhere, a Homicide, or an Oz is a career unto
itself. But to help create and sustain three such universes,
guiding season after season of storytelling to natural and meaningful
conclusions is something very near to magical.
A playwright by training and a writer to the core, Tom long ago proved
himself not only as a master storyteller, but as a producer capable of
shepherding his stories through the ridiculous minefield that is
network programming.
He does not produce breakout, snatch-the-zeitgeist hits.
Homicide? Only Tom Fontan could have eked 123 episodes out of
that brilliant,
off-center Baltimore police drama. St. Elsewhere?
The
ratings
got there belatedly, with not even half the fanfare of such
contemporary
ensemble dramas as, say, Hill Street Blues. And Oz was a
place of
foreboding where middle-of-the-road television viewers would rarely
tread.
But the humanity on display in those dramas – the characters,
the conflicts, the wit – offer some of our
culture’s best serialized
storytelling. And each drama grew to prove itself with
reckless
and
relentless daring: Pembleton’s stroke, Beecher’s
agonizing loss of
innocence,
even the entire contents of a Boston hospital trapped in the
imagination
of a single autistic child.
Tom takes chances in a medium where so few people do.
After all, given all those improbabilities listed above –
given how
absurdly hard it is to get a television drama up and running, to
build and sustain a fictional universe against all forces arrayed
against
it, to find and keep a mass viewership interested in that universe
–
who
wouldn’t try to sustain a successful drama by doing the same
things
over
and over?
But in a medium where rote repetition is its own reward, Tom refuses to
serve anything other than his own sense of story. Among the
producers of television drama, Tom Fontana stands apart for allowing
character
and story to triumph over the safe, careful choices. Every
hour
of a Fontana serial is an argument against formula and complacency in
a medium too often predicated on such.
With millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of viewers
at stake, who in their right mind makes the unsafe, uncertain
choice? Who indeed, other than a writer.
---------
David Simon sold his Edgar-award-winning book, Homicide: A Year on the
Killing Streets to NBC and eventually ruined his career in journalism
by going to work for Tom Fontana as a writer on the resulting episodic
drama. He learned a great deal about television and even more
about the medicinal properties of Wild Turkey. He is
currently
the creator and executive producer of The Wire on HBO.
11 April 05
Fontana inks 2-script deal with
Sony TV
Emmy-winning writer-producer Tom Fontana has
inked
a
premium two-script deal with Sony Pictures Television. Under the pact,
Fontana
will pen two drama pilot scripts for the studio targeted for the next
development cycle, a procedural and a character-driven one-hour.
UNTITLED TOM FONTANA/BARRY LEVINSON PROJECT (The WB)
-
Matthew Modine ("The Winning Season") has been cast as David Macklan in
the Tom Fontana/Barry Levinson-produced drama pilot, about the teachers
and students at a small Manhattan college. Modine will play the
professor that teaches the controversial human behavior and sexuality
class that serves as the centerpiece of the series. Julie Martin and
Jim Finnerty also
serve as executive producers on the HBO Independent Productions/Warner
Bros.
Television-based project, which also stars Milo Ventimiglia, Penn
Badgley
and Ernest Waddell.
June 21st is the release date for
the Season
5
OZ DVD.
Look for the Season 6 DVD in September.
24 February 05
Paying for it
From an article posted on the Broadcasting
& Cable
web site which talks about "skyrocketing talent costs":
... But not everybody in the game believes it's money well spent,
especially when a mix of fear and lack of imagination appears to be
driving the spending decisions. “This isn't a knock against
Gary
Sinise, who is a wonderful actor, and the show he's on is a
hit,” says
Oz and Homicide creator Tom Fontana, currently working on pilots for
CBS
and the WB. “And backing up the Brinks truck to pay Chris
Noth to help
out Criminal Intent, I can understand how that happens. But too often
the networks and studios are allowing what people get paid to get
totally
out of hand. How many actors are there who the public is going say, 'I
absolutely have to watch that show because Aidan Quinn is in it'? Then
the studios and networks who create the climate go and moan that
everything costs too much money.”
"Barry said he wanted to do a police show that had no gun battles and
no car chases. Because that was too crazy of an idea to work, I just
had to be a part of it, part of something that original."
TV torture scenes are
ugly,
powerful, exploitative—and a mirror of our national debate.
... For sheer Cassandra-like precision, you
can’t
beat Tom Fontana’s movie Strip Search,
which first aired on
HBO last spring. It depicted a female U.S. interrogator sexually
taunting an Arab detainee, a scenario that critics denounced as
“silly
and specious”—until a week later, when the Abu
Ghraib abuses were
exposed. According to Fontana, Strip Search was
inspired
by a direct reading of the Patriot Act in early 2002. As the creator of
Oz and Homicide: Life on the
Street, he
knew the rules of interrogation, and he could see that they had moved
the line. He was deeply troubled when the real-life abuses came
forward. “You know what? I wish I had made it all up. I wish
I had made
it
up in my twisted imagination, and that the world hadn’t
caught up with
me.”
Mystery Writers of America
Votes Honors to Tom
Fontana, David Chase.
Mystery Writers of America has
conferred
Special Edgar Awards on Tom Fontana and David Chase for their
groundbreaking work in television crime shows.
… Fontana is known for his deft
handling of gritty
subject matter and intimate look at the various participants in the
criminal justice system: the investigators, the prisoners,
and most recently, the jurors.
Award from the Caucus for Television Producers Writers and Directors
Tom Fontana will receive a lifetime
achievement
award from the Caucus for Television Producers, Writers and Directors
at the organizations annual gala on January 13th in Beverly Hills.
Fontana will be honored for his Emmy-winning work on TV as well as his
theatre output.
Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News
