MORE SCHADENFREUDE, SORT OF

I continue to wonder whether I should be appalled or reassured by Hollywood Animal. People keep buying Joe Eszterhas's scripts and then trying to rip their guts out. Not just soft the edges -- take out the thing that makes them sexy and scary and dangerous and commercial. Rip their guts out.

Should I be reassured -- yes, Virginia, they do that to everybody, even people they pay $4 mil to for a script -- or appalled -- no, Virginia, there is no level of writing to which you can aspire where they won't piss all over your work so it smells like them.

If you want control, become a producer, or work in TV. Or both.