2DO Before I Die

"Dying is hard. Comedy is Harder"

Jerry Seinfeld credits George Carlin, who died earlier this week, as the man who 'invented modern American stand-up comedy'. Links here for comedian George Carlin's last ever interview, and/or here for an Esquire list of things Carlin felt he learned in life. We also have our very own, very talented David Henry Sterry writing about his own experience performing stand-up comedy. (it's also in the book)

Lastly, you might read Jerry Seinfeld's tribute in the New York Times:

"THE honest truth is, for a comedian, even death is just a premise to make jokes about. I know this because I was on the phone with George Carlin nine days ago and we were making some death jokes. We were talking about Tim Russert and Bo Diddley and George said: “I feel safe for a while. There will probably be a break before they come after the next one. I always like to fly on an airline right after they’ve had a crash. It improves your odds.”

Filmmaker Anthony Minghella Dies

Writer and Director Anthony Minghella has died at the age of 54. It's a shock and a loss - talented, intelligent, and exceptionally articulate about his work, Minghella leaves behind a body of work that includes 7 films ('Oscar winner 'English Patient' is one of them), as well as a number of plays, an opera ('Madame Butterfly') and even some original music.

You can find a number of good links on his legacy here. It's well worth downloading his interview with Creative Screenwriting's podcast at Itunes. And if you're curious to dig futher, there are few directors better at articulating the creative process than Minghella. Well worth a read is the book Minghella on Minghella. Best wishes to his family and friends. -- Mike