A lot going on as always here in Hollywood, and much of it pretty much the same as the last time I posted. Can't believe this is the first time I have had a few minutes -- while G watches West Wing -- since the last update a week ago.

All is well on the home front even if, with my zany, zany, zany schedule and G starting her job this week with its own zany 6 am - 2:30 pm schedule, G and I are two ships passing in the night these days. The baby continues to grow and G is feeling generally pretty OK, getting as much rest and exercise and nutrition as she can. We have been doing very little other than eat and sleep, and sometimes even together. But in a couple of months it will be break time, then a few more months of school, the summer break with a baby!

There was also, last Wednesday, a huge-ass Geek Squad party held in a vacant wing of the Arclight complex on Sunset. All kinds of cheesy D-list stars were there. Kato Kaelin, David Spade. Carrot Top and Louie Anderson were there, too; if only Gallagher had shown up we would have had a veritable trifecta of shitty, shitty comedy. (Carrot Top wears more makeup than Tammy Faye Bakker, by the by.) The set for the party was cool -- all the computer set props from "War Games" were laid out with giant projection screens flashing goofy Geek Squad stuff all around. Free cocktails, and a lacklustre set by the B-52s. Fun to see some of the Geek Squad guys though -- although a few too many free cocktails and some late night fun meant a rought boot camp (see below).

Last week was another heavy-duty week at school, with our first group shoots ("boot camp" to us AFI-ers) of sample scenes from our productions. Basically, for our first year there are three production cycles. There are 28 directors & screenwriters & producers and thus 28 films per cycle. There are 14 editors who work on two films per cycle -- so we editors will edit 3 20-30 minute films by the end of term next May. Essentially, we'll have edited a feature's worth of pictures, which is pretty damned cool. Anyway, step one is "boot camp," which is a rapid acculturation and education period. For we editors, even moreso, as we have so much technical stuff to absorb just to get up to speed on the top-shelf Avid systems at the school. After most of our fellow students have stumbled home complaining of weariness from a long day of classes, we editors labor late into the night, leaving more often than not at 11:00 long after everyone else has gone home. (So quit yer bitchin', screenwriters!).

One of the first things we did was split into teams for shooting, everyone jockeying around their schedules and the stories that interest them. I was fortunate to get attached to two of the most interesting stories, both of which have really good and collaborative and artistically-minded-but-practical directors. The cinematographers, producers, production designers etc. are also not only extremely nice but extremely positive about working and learning together and with and from each other.

The shoots last Thursday went very well (my massive hangover notwithstanding) and we all enjoyed them. Then it was into the editing room for me all day on Friday and Saturday, Friday with Adam and Saturday with Anu, my two directors. And what a pleasure it was to work with people with strong ideas who were so nice and so open to input and willing to give me honest feedback.

Considering what we had to work with (shooting a graveyard scene written for night in blazing Caliornia sunshine next to a playground; shooting a trailer-park bedroom scene in a leafy glade), I think just about everyone's project came out like Citizen Kane. Some wer stronger than others but all had something to recommend them. I felt our two pieces were among the best and I am VERY excited about our actual "real" productions starting soon.

But for now, it's more seminars and all-night studio sessions. (Most enjoyable if a little fatiguing.)