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Pages 4-6 of Right of Way have been posted at the LA Observed Script Project. In the emerging L.A. noir tale, Mayor Russell Napolitano has left the abandoned tunnel mouth at the old Toluca Substation where Beverly meets 2nd Street. He's wowing a Mandeville Canyon cocktail reception with promises of a modern subway under Wilshire Boulevard. The band breaks into "Take the 'A' Train" and everybody is happy. Outside the party, a new — possibly sinister? — character enters the story. A futuristic car.
The new pages were submitted by Jerry Lazar, a Los Angeles writer, editor and webmaster. He gets his name on the script, the sense of fulfillment that comes from playing and winning, and a rare and very lovely LA Observed Script Project T-shirt. Eric Estrin, the script's producer and story editor, writes in his Script Notes:
Every story needs a protagonist with a goal -- and something preventing him from reaching it.L.A. Mayor Russell Napolitano is the hero, or (who knows?) maybe anti-hero of “Right of Way.” He wants to build a subway down the Wilshire corridor to ease the constant traffic nightmare that threatens to bring our great city to a standstill. Possibly he has other motives too that haven’t yet been revealed.
But what’s standing in his way?
That was one of the questions floating around Jerry Lazar’s mind when he grabbed a taxi to LAX last Friday and discovered his ride was fueled by natural gas.
The next pages in the story could come from you — here is the assignment, the rules and the FAQs. The deadline is Sunday night. Anyone can participate — all that's needed is a little imagination and a strong sense of Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the Script Project has been getting some nice attention on Hollywood and writing blogs. Here's a case study at Adopt A Writer and posts at Defamer, LA Writers Group.com, PopVultures and Write for Blogs.com. Also, here's a video interview with Eric by James Sims of BroadwayWorld.com that is running on YouTube.